


The Bucket Boon

by BulletStrong



Series: Death and Life [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 11:26:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5741959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BulletStrong/pseuds/BulletStrong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After her health scare, Regina writes a bucket list and Emma finds it. Family fun ensues. Sequel to 'Spiral' but can stand alone. Swan Queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Bucket List

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a sequel to my other story ‘Spiral’, as many asked for an epilogue. I really recommend you read that first (if you haven’t already). You can try to read this without the previous but you might be a bit lost in the beginning.

They say that right before death, as your body spirals out of control and your mind shuts down, you see your life flash before your eyes. You see the good, the bad, the painful, and the joyous. So, when Regina began hiding a notebook in her locked desk drawer and lying to Emma about it, the blonde was certain that something occurred to the brunette when she had been unconscious in the loft, near death. Emma assumed it was a diary where Regina would jot down her feelings, as the older woman denied the free sessions that Archie offered. 

It was peculiar, and saddening, that Regina seemed happier when she was afflicted with the broken heart than when she was cured by Henry and Emma’s kiss of True Love. After she woke, completely healthy and cured, Regina retreated emotionally. To those without close knowledge of the brunette, she seemed fine. She was repentant, softer, kinder, and an all around better human being but the sadness swirling in her eyes scared Emma because she worried that the depression would take over once more.

With that worry gnawing at her heart, Emma grabbed a pin from Regina’s dresser while the brunette was out food shopping and picked the lock on the drawer where the notebook was kept. She expertly turned the tumblers and the drawer flew out to reveal the dreaded small, blue notebook that Regina was constantly scribbling in. She felt a bit guilty for the invasion of privacy but Emma considered it a necessary evil. She was losing her girlfriend and Henry was losing his mother to depression again and they just wanted to help her so Emma peeled back the cover. Her eyes widened as she took in the title page.

“Bucket list…” Emma whispered, the pieces of the puzzle finally making sense to her. Regina was writing a bucket list because she felt unfulfilled. The blonde furrowed her brows as she read some of the list.

“Number 1: Take Emma out on a proper date,” The blonde smiled as her eyes continued scanning, “Number 12: Ride Kingda Ka. Number 15: Ride a horse again.”

The blonde became so engrossed that she missed the click of the front door and the tapping of heels against the hardwood. She certainly didn’t miss Regina’s screech, “Emma! That’s my notebook!”

The woman was caught red-handed and she should feel frightened because, well, Regina was still a powerful sorceress that could turn her into a fly before whacking her with an electrical swatter but the blonde was just so relieved that the notebook wasn’t filled with angry or depressed passages. 

“Babe, why didn’t you tell me you that this was a bucket list?” Emma placed her palm over the small list, grinning like a fool because this was something she could work with.

“Because it’s childish!” Regina crossed the room and ripped the book from her hand before pressing the hardcover against her chest protectively. Emma felt her heart pinch. 

“It’s not childish. This,” Emma pointed at the item, “is something we could actually do, Gina! We can drink Slushie’s and buy a Beagle. This is cool and I want to do it with you, especially number eight. Be intimate with Emma huh?”

Regina smiled tightly, almost angry that Emma always knew exactly what to say, “Emma, we have jobs and our sons has school.”

“Henry finishes next week and I can hire a deputy so that my parents can come to Six Flags with us—“

“Like hell your parents are coming…” Regina grumbled, which made Emma chuckle and shake her head tauntingly.

“Ah, ah, ah! Number nine says ‘Go to Six Flags with entire family (yes, even the Charming’s)’. Those are your words, Gina.” The brunette groaned dramatically as Emma leaned in, making comical faces. 

“It was a moment of insanity.” Regina pouted, trying to distract the blonde but it was to no avail. Emma grinned as she extended her hand, silently asking for the notebook back. Regina paused for a moment but relented when Emma let out a dramatic, childish moan of displeasure. 

“Let’s see, what you have here? Uh, number 18: learn to ride a bike? Regina…” Emma looked over at the brunette incredulously, “You don’t know how to ride a bike?”

“Well, they didn’t exist in the Enchanted Forest and I learn to drive when I got to Storybrooke,” Regina plucked at Emma’s sleeve, “I also never taught Henry so he doesn’t know how to either.”

“Regina!” Emma laughed, slamming the book shut before placing it back into its drawer, “Anyway, I’m serious. Let’s do it, all of it.”

“Really?” The brunette stared at her hands as they pulled on a loose piece of string on the blonde’s shirt before her eyes flitted up to gaze into Emma’s. 

“Of course! It sounds like so much fun and Henry will love it,” Emma paused, taking in Regina’s bright smile, one she had missed since they fixed her, “I do have a question though. What… made you write this? And why did you try to hide it?”

Regina’s smile diminished slightly, her fingers stilling on Emma’s arm in order to squeeze, “When… I was dying, I was thinking about my life and the things I had done and I realized that my life has… well, sucked.”

Emma smiled sadly, “Yeah, babe, I know.”

“And when I got my second chance at life because of love, I promised that I would do the things I always wanted to do so I wrote it down in this journal. I was going to tell you because I was genuinely interested in completing it, as it’s not too extensive, but I would panic every time you asked about it. I suppose I was worried that you would think it was idiotic or laugh or… I don’t know. I became so defense about this and I felt alone in my head and I pushed you and Henry away, at least emotionally. I just… I am idiotic because here you are, loving me and wanting to help and I pushed you away—“

“Hey, don’t do that,” Emma immediately caressed Regina’s arm, wanting to stunt the self-deprecating train of thought, “You went through something so shitty, Gina, and I’m so proud of you because you didn’t push us out completely. We were just worried about you and your health, you know? But this we can deal with, this is awesome. Plus, Henry and my parents will be all in, for sure.”

“I suppose, in a convoluted way, I should thank you for being so nosy.” Emma chuckled as she wrapped her arms around Regina and pulled her close, nuzzling her nose into the brunette locks she loved so much. She sighed with relief. A bucket list was good. It would help Regina feel more comfortable in her skin, it would bring the family together, and they could all do new things while exploring the world Emma knew best. But the most important part was that Regina wasn’t depressed, she had been scared of her list and ideas being rejected by her loved ones. Now that that misguided insecurity was gone, they could work on being the unit they had always planned on being. 

“So, what’s first? I could teach you both how to ride a bike tomorrow. Snow and I brought bikes back during the curse that are just gathering dust in a closet.” Regina blew out a breath.

“Sure.” The brunette avoided Emma’s eyes and the blonde chuckled excitedly.

“Are you scared to ride a bike? You, the former Evil Queen and badass Mayor?” Regina widened her eyes comically and poked Emma’s ribs, causing her to chuckle as the blonde jumped away from her fingers. 

“I am not afraid to mount a scrap of rusty metal on wheels, than you very much.” 

“We’ll see about that tomorrow,” Emma reached forward to tuck a piece of Regina’s hair behind her ear as she stepped back into the brunette’s personal space, “And babe, please, tell me when something’s bothering you, okay? I won’t ever laugh or dismiss it.”

“I promise.” Regina smiled genuinely, her eyes finally alit with pure joy, and Emma swooned. This woman would be the death of her.

“I need to get to work now, take over for my dad,” Emma thrust her thumb toward the front door, “But later, we’ll make copies of your list and we’ll start making plans, huh?”

Regina nodded before placing a sweet kiss onto Emma’s lips and swiping her hands across the blonde’s shirt in an attempt to smooth down the wrinkles. She constantly told Emma to iron her clothes but the blonde insisted that Regina was being anal about it. After the third time, Regina just gave up on the endeavor, vowing to just love Emma Swan the way she came, flawed yet perfect. The woman was a true anomaly. 

“I love you. Be safe.” Regina whispered, hugging the blonde tightly causing Emma to grunt playfully. 

“I love you too, so much. See you later,” Emma placed one last kiss onto Regina’s forehead before she strolled to the front door. She departed quickly, throwing over her shoulder, “Don’t you start that list without me!”

Regina heard the door click shut before whispering, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”


	2. Number 18: Learn to Ride a Bike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina (and Henry) learn to ride a bike

Regina Mills was sexy, with her dresses, tight skirts, silk blouses, and sensual voice. She was a badass, with her authoritative personality and strong attitude. She was a leader, a queen, and the mayor. She could be quite scary, with her dark eyes and sharp tongue. She could be vulnerable, with her stormy emotions and deep loving nature. But Regina would kill her if she knew that Emma thought she looked absolutely adorable wearing a pink helmet and pads, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at the yellow bicycle. 

“Come here, babe. It’s not gonna bite.” Emma teased, planting her feet and propping her hands on her hips. The yellow bike was right next to her, upright due to its kickstand, while Henry was seated comfortably on the red bike a few feet away. 

“Yeah, mom, just get on it. You’re tall enough to hold it up.” Henry added logically but Regina continued to stare at the offending two-wheeled vehicle with disgust. 

“Is that Snow’s?” The brunette asked suddenly, “It’s pastel. It has to be hers.”

“Yeah, so?” Emma replied, shrugging. Henry sighed as he removed his helmet when the heat on his scalp became unbearable. 

“I can’t ride Snow White’s bike! That’s, like, blasphemy.” Regina shouted. She began absentmindedly fiddling with the pads on her elbows when Emma and Henry just continued staring at her knowingly.

“Gina, you can do this,” Emma stated so seriously that Regina felt her heart palpitate. No one had ever believed in her the way that Emma did, even if this was just about a bike ride. Regina blew out a shaky breath before nodding and slowly climbing onto the bike, making sure to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground. Emma looked back to gaze at their son, “Kid, you mind if I teach your mom first?”

“No, please, go ahead. If you show me first, it gives her time to back out.” The boy stated with a smirk, scratching his head to alleviate the itch left behind by the sun. Emma threw him a grateful look while Regina glared intensely, which ended up looking like a grimace as she almost toppled over.

“Okay, babe, I’m going to hold you up,” Emma placed one hand on the back of the seat and the other on the left handle, next to Regina’s shaky hand, “Lift your legs.”

Emma peered down and saw that the brunette’s feet were still planted firmly on the concrete, “Babe, lift your legs.”

“When I first came here, I read science textbooks.” Regina blurted, making Emma furrowed her brows and peek around the brunette’s shoulder to send her a quizzical look. 

“Huh?” 

“I’ve heard all about gravity and I feel that this is just not safe. Science says I’ll topple over.” Emma let out a bark of laughter but quieted to a low chuckle when the brunette let out an indignant huff.

“Honey, thousands of people ride every day and they almost never topple over. Plus, there’s a really long, boring explanation of why this shit works,” Emma sighed, “Now, lift your goddamn feet. Trust me. I won’t let you fall.”

Regina let out a fearful squeal as she slowly lifted her feet off the ground, her eyes screwed shut and her spine tense. After a few moments of silence, Regina popped open an eye and smiled shakily when she noticed that she was still upright, “I did it!”

“Well, kind of,” Emma laughed as she reached down to place each foot on the pedals, giving the woman a second to adjust, “Technically, I’m holding you up and you haven’t moved but I’m proud that you’ve even gotten this far.”

They heard Henry’s muffled chuckles but ignored the boy as Emma arranged Regina’s hands and feet to make sure everything would be ready for movement, ”Okay, ready to move, babe?”

“Uh, how about we stop now and say that I rode a bike?” Regina lifted her ass from the seat only to be shoved back down by a pale hand on her shoulder, “Fine! I survived a broken heart just to die from a bike accident!”

Emma chuckled incredulously, “It’s a bike, not a helicopter! The worst that could happen is a few scratches and that’s really unlikely considering you’re practically wearing a mattress!”

“You’re so annoying!” Regina grumbled, snapping her head to glare at Emma but only managing to loosen her helmet straps causing the pink item to swooped down and smacked Regina on the nose.

“And you’re acting like a baby!” Emma replied, pushing the helmet back onto Regina’s head and pulling the straps to tighten it under her chin, “A beautiful, pouty baby but a baby nonetheless. Now, I’m going to start moving whether you like it or not.”

“No, Emma, I don’t—Shit!” Regina screamed as the bike lurched forward, “Emma! I’m going to kill you!”

Emma just laughed whole heartedly as she moved the bike forward at an average speed, possibly ten miles an hour. Emma managed to hear Henry’s hysterical laughter over Regina’s screeches. She yelled at the brunette, “Pedal, babe! Pedal!”

Regina quickly pedaled amidst her panic and after a few moments, Emma released her hold on the bike and watched proudly as Regina rode away by herself. The brunette continued cursing Emma’s name as she skillfully rode up the block, believing that the blonde was still behind her and controlling the bike.

“Steer, babe! It’s all you!” Emma bellowed and she saw the realization take over the brunette’s body, as her spine relaxed and blood flow returned to her knuckles. Regina softly turned the handles and made her way back down the street with a smile on her face.

“I’m doing it!” Henry clapped thunderously and Emma whistled as Regina whizzed by. 

“You’re a natural baby! You see? Nothing to be afraid of!” Emma began clapping and jumping with excitement. Regina was riding up and down the street, laughing and smiling in such a child-like way that made butterflies attack her gut and her heart squeeze with love. She just watched, enamored with the woman and her son, who was watching on proudly.

“Yeah, mom!” He yelled, his prepubescent voice high pitched and cracking slightly. They watched as Regina soaked up the attention and pride as she peddled and peddled furiously, turning every once in a while to head up and down Mifflin repeatedly. Emma clapped one last time before turning to her son and lifting her arms in challenge.

“So, kid, you gonna let your mom upstage you like that?” The blonde taunted, clicking her tongue, and Henry smirked with narrowed eyes.

“Never. She already thinks she ‘wins’ at Mario Karts. She’s not beating me now.” He scooted forward on the bike seat and lifted his brows. 

“That’s my boy!” Emma joked, jogging to the back of his bike and repeated the process as she did with Regina, who was happily circling the two.

“I beat you fair and square! You’re just jealous of my Mario Karts prowess!” The brunette pestered as she lifted a hand off of the bike handle to poke her son’s cheek playfully. Henry gently smacked her hand away as she turned to continue her circle around him.

“Is throwing the controller across the room while you’re behind fair and square?” Henry shrieked, making both his mothers laugh. Emma connected her gaze with Regina’s.

“When it comes to competition, just how vicious are you?” 

“I haven’t the faintest clue what you are talking about.” Regina stated stoically but her small smirk gave her away. 

“Uh huh,” Emma waved her away, “Go away. You’re making me dizzy with your vulture act.” 

Regina complied and sped off down the street. The blonde muttered, “For someone who was screaming bloody murder five minutes ago, she sure is getting cocky.”

Henry let out a bark of laughter and Emma smiled, peering over at the brunette who was now steering with one hand, before shaking her head. The blonde moved the bike forward slowly before Henry began peddling gently. Once he got steady and rhythmic with his movements, Emma let out and watched him take off, a bit unstable at first but he quickly got the handle on it. Regina rode by and cheered on their son as he took off without fear.

“That’s it, H! You got it!” Emma decided to run next to him when she saw his bike lean a bit too much to the left but he quickly corrected himself and Emma relaxed, “Just don’t lean too much, okay? Keep your back straight!”

“I got it, Ma! No worries!” The blonde watched him for a few more moments until she was sure he was settled into the bike before dropping to settle her backside down on the curb. 

“This is great and all but, uh, how do I stop, dear?” Regina questioned as she passed in front of the blonde, her face and shoulders showing perspiration. Yes, it was hot but Emma suspected it was Regina’s lack of daily exercise that was affecting the brunette. 

“The little trigger on the handles are brakes or you could thrust the pedal’s back. Careful though! You don’t want to brake too hard!” 

Regina turned back toward her house and Emma. She slowly held down the trigger on the handle and came to a slow stop, promptly planting her feet on the ground before hopping off elegantly. Regina bent down to open the kickstand and Emma watched appreciatively as the brunette’s backside waved in the air. 

“So,” Emma purred as Regina plopped down next to her, “what else is on your list besides learning to ride a bike, go to Six Flags with your arch enemies, and stuffing my muffin?”

“That’s absolutely crude,” Regina grinned before answering, “I wrote down twenty things that I’ve always wanted to do, like eat a hot dog or beat Henry’s high score on Pac Man at the arcade.”

“You need to make me a copy so we can get this started. Do you know them off the top of your head?”

“I think so. As you know, I’ve been obsessing over the list for a while.” Regina smiled when her son beeped the horn attached to the bike as he passed by. 

“List them for me, please?” Emma begged, her palms connected and her mouth pouting. 

“Alright, let’s see,” Regina cleared her throat, “Take you out on a date, have a movie marathon with you and Henry, have a spa day, be invited to a party, watch the sunrise, watch the sunset, buy a beach home, be intimate with you, go to Six Flags with everyone, try a hotdog, drink a slushie, ride Kingda Ka, play tennis, beat Henry at Pac Man, ride a horse again, get a dog, see Niagara Falls, learn to ride a bike, have a water balloon fight, and have a pool built in the backyard.”

Emma gaped and chuckled lightly, “Wow, all of that actually sounds fun.”

“What were you expecting dear?” Regina teased, bumping their shoulders together.

“Uh, I don’t know, see a show on Broadway or shop at a Donna Karan outlet store.” Regina snorted.

“No, I’m done with all of that. I want to have fun for once and the things on my list are things that I always thought would be improper because of the lessons my mother instilled in me. I done letting her rule my life.” Emma smiled proudly, wrapping an arm around Regina’s neck and pulling her in so that their forehead’s touched gently.

“I’m so fucking excited. You have no idea,” Emma sighed, “I just want you to be happy, content, and yourself because you deserve to live life the way you’ve always been denied.”

“Thank you, my love.” Regina whispered, ignoring Henry’s beeping in order to place a sweet kiss on Emma’s lips. Their connection was so deep and true that each time they touched, their heart pounded and their skin tingled. It was… like magic. 

“It’s still early so, if you want, I could go to the store, get some snacks and popcorn, and we could do that movie marathon?”

“Sounds perfect, Emma.”


	3. Number 2: Movie Marathon

Emma perused the candy aisle anxiously, as she never brought sweets for Regina before and wasn’t too knowledgeable on what she preferred, but she put that on the backburner in order to search for Henry’s favorite, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. From there she grabbed a supersized Kit-Kat bar, a bag of Tootsie Rolls, and two boxes of buttery popcorn. Then she stood, stumped, as she stared at the selection while nervously chewing on her thumbnail. 

“Jesus, Emma, just pick something.” The blonde chastised. She came to realize in that moment that the bucket list would do wonders for their relationship because it would help them learn about one another. They knew the large, important aspects of each other’s lives but the details were a bit forgotten, like favorite candy or if she had a middle name. 

“She likes Snicker’s bars and Nutella,” Emma jumped when the one of the workers, the dwarf Happy, plucked a large bag of Snicker’s from the bottom shelf before holding up a finger in a silent communication to stay put and running off. He appeared a minute later with a large jug of Nutella and a box of non-salted Saltine crackers as he stated, “She likes to put the stuff on these crackers.”

“Really?” Emma asked amusedly, grabbing the offered items and throwing them carelessly into her rolling basket. Happy nodded fervently and Emma smiled, “Huh! Learn something new about your partner everyday.”

“Candy, popcorn, sodas… Movie night?” Happy shifted to organize the candy, putting each brand where it belonged and shuffling them into a perfect pile. 

“Yeah, movie marathon actually.” Happy turned with wide eyes and Emma peered around self-consciously, sure that the man wasn’t giving her such an incredulous look.

“And that’s all you got?” Emma nodded, shrugging, and Happy shook his head so rapidly, Emma wondered if he got whiplash, “No, no, no! That won’t do! You need more.”

Emma smirked as he displayed the aisle like a The Price Is Right showgirl, “Are you just trying to bump up your sales?”

“What?” Happy feigned hurt, placing his hands over his heart, “No, Sheriff. You need more candy if you’re going to watch several movies. It’s better to have leftovers than to be left wanting.”

Emma narrowed her eyes before snatching a few more bags of chocolate and stalking away from the smirking dwarf, heading toward another smirking dwarf behind the counter. Dopey announced goofily, “Hi, Sheriff Swan! Welcome to this store!”

Emma chuckled, “Hey, Dopey.”

His eyes grew as wide as saucers when Emma began placing bags upon bags of candy and snacks onto the counter, “Whoa! That’s a lot of candy!”

“Yes, it is,” Emma glared at Happy, who was blissfully ignoring the blonde, “I think I was conned by your friend.”

Dopey just continued smiling at her, a blank look on his face, until Emma cleared her throat, “Oh! You’re really going to buy all of this?”

She nodded slowly and Dopey scanned all of her items, his eyes widening again when he saw the total but Emma just threw down some bills and actually began to bag her own things, tired of the dwarf’s unhurried nature. 

“Okay, thanks Dopey. See you later.” Emma slipped her hands through the bag handles and walked to the car quickly, not wanting to take too long and face Regina’s wrath, which became sort of adorable after their relationship blossomed as Emma knew that the brunette was all bark and no bite when it came to her and Henry. 

She pulled into the driveway and jogged to the door, her excitement thrumming throughout her body. She heard loud arguing and furrowed her brows as she threw open the front door.

“No way, Henry! We’re not watching Disney films!” Emma snorted quietly, heading straight to the kitchen to unpack the bags. 

“Come on!” Henry whined, “It’ll be fun!”

Emma smiled as she ripped open the candy bags with her teeth and dumped everything into a large green bowl, “Henry, we live in a Disney movie! We can watch super hero movies. You like those!”

The blonde smirked when she heard the unfiltered desperation in Regina’s voice while she popped one of the unwrapped popcorn sleeves into the microwave and set it to the correct cooking time, “We can make fun of the movies and characters!”

“Henry,” Regina whined uncharacteristically and Emma laughed silently with a hand over her mouth as she watched the microwave tick down, “Why are you doing this to me?”

“We can skip Snow White and all of the stupid ones. We’ll watch Mulan, Hercules, those kind!” The microwave dinged loudly and Emma carefully pulled out the heated bag, blowing on it as she swiveled to the center island where she dropped it into it a red bowl in order to allow her fingers to recover. She heard Regina sigh in defeat.

“Fine! We’ll watch those damn movies.” Emma snorted. She loved hearing Regina curse, swear, and be outright crude. It really affected her deep in the pit of her belly, heating her from the inside out. 

“Sweet! Let me go get them!” She heard Henry stomp up the stairs and into his room before Regina groaned.

“Such a pushover, Regina,” Emma beamed, listening to Regina, who thought she was alone, grumble quietly, “Now I’m stuck watching those shitty, and highly inaccurate, movies with horrible plots and… and shitty writing.”

Emma couldn’t contain the resounding bark of laughter that escaped, which caused the brunette to yelp and blush furiously, “Emma! You’re back?”

“Yeah, and you’re talking to yourself,” Regina scoffed and crossed her arms, “You’re losing it, babe.”

Regina huffed and sauntered over the couch, throwing a playful glare as she dramatically threw her body onto the loveseat, “I was not talking to myself, dear. I was merely showing Henry my displeasure.”

“Ah, I see,” Emma chuckled, placing both bowls onto the coffee table in front of the couch, before jumping forward to straddle Regina’s thighs and kiss the pout on her lips. The blonde reached up and flicked the chocolate hair back with both hands before sliding them down to caress the woman’s prominent collarbones, “You’re so beautiful, Gina.”

Regina smiled genuinely, her eyes glistening, because even with months of a relationship under their belt while living under the same roof, Emma’s openness and affection brought up her vulnerable side, “As are you, my darling.”

The blonde hummed as she leaned in and sealed their lips together sensually, tongue’s stroking gently and teeth nipping. Regina deepened the kiss with a moan, nibbling on the other woman’s bottom lip while her hand slid up from blonde’s hip to give her sensitive breast a hearty squeeze. Emma pulled back with a pop, pulling Regina’s upper lip playfully before diving right back in with a furious intensity, causing the brunette to instinctively close the space between her fingers and effectively trap Emma’s perk nipple, giving it a small tug. 

“Mmm, babe, yeah.” Emma moaned quietly into her girlfriend’s marvelous and extremely talented mouth. Regina sensed her control spiraling and gradually lowered their intensity by sliding her hand back down to Emma’s hip and slowing the kiss.

“My eyes!” The two jumped apart, with Emma flying backwards over the coffee table, managing to miss the bowls by a hairs length, and landing on her back by the TV, while Regina banged into the couch as she shrieked, “Oh, my innocent, pure eyes!”

Henry screeched, his little hands covering his face after dropping the forgotten movies onto the floor. Regina recovered first, “Henry, we’re going to have to put a bell around your neck.”

Henry scoffed, “Or you could not do that when I’m around.”

Emma finally got her bearings, lifting her body off the ground slowly, grunting as her knees cracked, “Geez, kid, we’re a couple. We kiss, ya know?”

“Ugh, whatever,” Henry groaned as he popped open the plastic case that contained Mulan and put it into the DVD player before grabbing the remote and putting everything into the proper setting, “Let’s just pretend it never happened.”

“Yes, please.” Regina groused, rolling her eyes as Emma threw her body onto the couch, making Regina’s body lurch. The three of them settled onto the couch with the snacks, some pillows, and two blankets. The movie was actually enjoyable and Regina even sang along with Henry and Emma, their voices wobbly and full of laughter. The brunette admitted to liking the music and expressing her plan to download the soundtrack once the night was over.

“Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?” Henry sang loudly, standing on the couch as Emma popped in the next movie and Regina stuffed popcorn into her mouth. The brunette chewed quickly, her smile becoming too large to contain the pieces of popcorn. 

“You're the saddest bunch I ever met but you can bet before we're through, Mister, I'll make a man out of you!” Regina joined in with her son, their voices reverberating off the mansion walls and creating a chaotic echo that made Emma chuckle. 

The family spent the night watching the ‘cool’ Disney films, singing along, and even dancing around the house. Regina noticed that the mansion had never felt so alive, so homey, and it brought tears to her eyes. This was what she always wanted, a family that supported each other and accepted flaws with open arms, a family unit that could fill a home with mirth. It was something Regina had been scouring the Enchanted Forest for decades ago but she went about it the wrong way by letting her anger take over. 

Now, she had it, the love and acceptance that she had lost when Daniel’s heart crumbled in her mother’s hand. And she felt her heart overflow when she saw the credit roll on the fourth movie and turned to speak to her girlfriend when she realize that Henry and Emma had fallen asleep on her shoulders with their arms wrapped around her mid-section. Yes, this was what she had always wanted.


	4. Numbers 5 & 8: Sunrise & Be Intimate

A week passed and neither Henry nor Emma mentioned anything about the bucket list, though she supposed it was unfair to be upset with their son as he was in the dark about the whole ordeal. Regina had been excited to complete the list, to fill the page with checkmarks and see, eat, drink, and do new things, but her hope was dwindling with each day that went by in routine. 

And that was why Regina was sitting in bed, wide awake, worrying about her relationship with Emma, wondering if the woman took her concerns seriously, and as those traitorous thoughts filtered through her mind, the brunette caught a glimpse of blonde in her doorway. Before she could fully react, Emma tackled her onto the bed and kissed her like Regina had just returned from war.

“Gina.” Emma whispered roughly, hovering above the brunette, her palms on either side of her head and her knees by her thighs. 

“Emma, what the hell are you doing?” Regina sighed exasperatedly but her hands instinctually reached up to hold onto the blonde’s strong forearms while she peered at her alarm clock with wide eyes, “It’s… it’s four in the morning.”

“Number 5,” Emma replied, “Watch the sunrise.”

Regina felt her eyes burn and shook her head, “You didn’t forget?”

“No, of course not, I’ve just been slammed at work.”

“Slammed? Doubtful, dear.” Regina retorted sarcastically, her morale lifting with every passing minute. Emma flicked the brunette’s arm and Regina pretended to be wounded.

“Actually, I’ve been working overtime so that me and my dad can put in for a month off and leave the two new deputy’s in charge.” 

“You finally hired someone suitable? And the month off is for…”

“Six Flags!” Emma smiled, “And Niagara Falls cause that’s on your list too. And to answer your previous question, yes, I hired Ruby and one of the princes.”

“Which one?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Emma hopped off the bed and extended a hand, “We have to go now or we’ll miss the sun rise! I dropped Henry off at the apartment already. He’s probably sleeping like a log as we speak. It’s just you and me, babe.”

Regina pulled on sweatpants and a sweatshirt, as Emma told her it was as ‘cold as shit outside’, before settling into the Bug. Emma drove east, towards the beach, speedily and Regina jokingly asked, “Who arrests the Sheriff when she screws up?”

“No one,” Emma chuckled as she pulled into the beach’s parking lot, “I could kill you right now and get away with it.”

“How romantic, darling. I’m swooning.” Regina drawled sardonically and Emma let out a full-belly laugh. 

“Yeah, yeah, my little comedienne. Come here.” Regina scooted closer and Emma wrapped her arm around the brunette’s shoulders as she dragged the brunette towards the sand and laid down a thick blanket. They sat down and gazed towards the light pink horizon, with just a sliver of sun peaking out, and wistfully took in the calm atmosphere. Their lives tended to be hectic with visiting villains, constant chaos, and a young boy with annoyingly optimistic grandparents. The serenity they felt would soon give way to preventing criminal activity, caring for a suddenly clingy boy, and the misadventures of the Swan-Mills and Charming families during this bucket list bonanza that was soon to explode. 

Emma rested her head against Regina’s and whispered, “When I was a kid, I never thought I’d have this, you know? I didn’t grow up with the idea of True Love. I grew up seeing husbands abuse their wives, adultery, and just plain unhappiness. That’s what I associated love with, a bother, something I didn’t need to deal with, so I never really looked for it. I didn’t date until Neal and we know how that ended. It just set me back even more. Then I come here and I see my parents and I think it’s a fluke. It’s something that would never happen for me. But then I got to know you, your struggles and strife, and I realized that you’re just like me. And if I thought you deserved to be loved than I had to believe that Fate believed I deserved to be loved too.”

“You do, my darling. You deserve only the best,” Regina cleared her throat, “Sometimes I think that I’m not good enough for you, that you deserve someone who doesn’t push you away when afraid or have walls that rival the Great Wall of China. You’re so brave, smart, caring, and I’m the Evil Queen, rotten to the core.”

“Never, ever say that again,” Emma whispered, her voice hard yet shaky, “You are imperfectly perfect for me, okay? I need someone with flaws, who understands my crap. You’re it for me, Gina. You and Henry, you’re my happy ending. No if’s, and’s, or but’s.” 

“I love you too, Emma.” Regina leaned in a sealed their lips passionately and Emma returned it just as ferociously, their lips caressing firmly and their hands wandering sensually. They parted for air but dove right back in, accidently bumping their teeth as their smiles came forward. Regina reached around to cradle Emma’s head, her fingers lightly massaging the blonde’s scalp, as she swiped her tongue across the supple and swollen bottom lip, immediately gaining entry. Their grinding matched the web and flow of the ocean waves, back and forth, until Emma groaned with need. 

“Regina.” She whispered against those full lips, her hands sneaking around to squeeze an ample ass, and the brunette moaned into her mouth. 

“Let’s kill two birds with one stone, hm?” Regina purred, “Number 8.”

“Eight?” Emma furrowed her brow, too stupefied by Regina’s warm mouth niggling on her earlobe, but Regina hummed with excitement and Emma took a moment to think back to the list she now memorized, “Oh! Numero Ocho!”

Regina smiled goofily while her hands dipped under Emma’s jacket, “Yes, dear. I think we can find a better way to keep warm.”

“Oh God yes,” Emma whimpered, feeling Regina’s fingers massage her breasts but avoiding the nipple. The blond looked around to make sure no one was in plain sight before reaching forward and removing Regina’s sweatshirt rapidly, throwing it onto the corner of the blanket. She wasted no time in pulling the bra cups down and sucking a pert nipple into her hot mouth, shivering when she heard Regina’s deep moan. She swirled her tongue around the areola before flicking the nub repeatedly, departing with a thorough suck and a hum that sent vibrations to both of their cores. 

The blonde grabbed the older woman’s hips and shifted their bodies so that Regina was straddling her thighs while facing the horizon. She wanted to make love with Regina, that was a damn given, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to let her miss the sunrise, not when it was on her list. Emma placed sweet kisses on the brunette’s neck, sucking lightly on sensitive areas and the pulse point, as one hand fondled the neglect breast and the other was slowly teasing her, slithering across her abdomen, creating goose bumps and making her shiver with delight.

“Emma,” She whispered, her voice deeper than usually and sending a spark right to the blonde’s pussy, flooding her with sticky wetness, “Please, don’t tease. Six months is a long enough wait, wouldn’t you say?”

“Too long,” Emma slithered her hand under the elastic waistband on her girlfriend’s sweatpants before swiping two fingers through the sticky heat. Deciding she needed more access, the blonde lowered Regina’s pants and underwear to her mid thigh, exposing the brunette’s heated pussy to the cold air, making Regina whimpered for release, “You are so beautiful, sexy, stunning… everything.”

“I love you so much.” Regina managed to whisper before Emma sealed their lips together and pressed down with her thumb on her sensitive clit, making the brunette jolt with desire and cry out into her eager mouth. Emma released Regina’s lips, wanting to hear her moans, and muzzled her face into her hair.

“I love you too,” Emma slowly moved her finger through wet folds and circled the slick, tight opening wantonly, “I want you to look at the sunrise as I fuck you. Can you do that?”

Regina groaned with anticipation, feeling Emma dip the tips of two fingers into her opening, “Yes!”

When the blonde suddenly thrust both fingers in without preamble, the brunette lurched forward and hugged Emma to her, wrapping her around her midsection with her soles firmly planted on the blanket. As Emma began thrusting, hard and deep, Regina screwed her eyes shut and used her leverage to lift her ass and grind against Emma’s palm, creating delicious friction on her swollen nub, “Oh fuck! Emma!”

The blonde moaned at hearing her name fall so lustfully off the other woman’s lips, “Open your eyes, babe. You have to watch the sunrise.”

Regina complied, her gaze landing on the sun that was inching it’s way higher, but her rhythm never ceased as she continued grinding, her pussy pulling on Emma’s fingers as she got closer to her climax. The blonde, though, couldn’t stop staring at Regina’s pleasure marred face, awed by the effect she could have on the woman she loved. Regina reached for Emma’s jeans, unbuttoning them and slipping a hand into the tight space, managing to stimulate her clit by circling it ferociously. Emma felt the heat building up in her belly and quicken her pace, curling her fingers to rub the uneven patch on the brunette’s inner wall, her palm continued to slap into Regina’s clit with every forward movement. They continued for several minutes, their pants, moans, and groans only for their ears as the ocean drowned out the rest of the world. The colors of the rising sun, pink and orange, creating a truly ethereal glow around them as they cried out one last time, their motions ceasing when they slumped against one another. Their hands didn’t move, just casually resting where they were, Emma’s fingers inside of Regina and Regina’s fingers on Emma’s throbbing, slippery nub. The brunette watched as the sun rose, gradually heating up the earth and wind.

“I want to be with you until the day I die,” The blonde whispered sincerely and Regina felt her eyes burn and blur, the sun becoming extremely bright as it extended in her teary eyes, “I want to wake up next to you every morning and argue with you and make love with you… only you, for the rest of my life.”

“I want that too, Emma.” The blonde slipped her fingers out of the brunette, licked them clean before rubbing them on the blanket and watched lustfully as Regina did the same. She rearranged their clothes lovingly, making sure to pass her hand over Regina’s skin as she pulled up her sweatpants and helped her throw on the sweatshirt, and buttoning her own jeans before looking into the chocolate eyes seriously.

“I want picket fences, kids, a dog, Christmas dinners, family vacations, game nights,” Emma smiled when Regina caressed her jaw, “I want to cry with you at Henry’s graduation, watch Henry make a family of his own with you, and just be with you, forever and always.”

“That sounds pretty perfect to me.” Regina grinned, her glistening eyes giving away just how much those words meant to her.

“Yeah?” The blonde fiddled with Regina’s fingers.

“Yeah.” Regina imitated, bringing a grin to Emma’s face as she pulled out a small, velvet box. Regina gasped, her eyes widening almost comically and her mouth hanging open. Emma felt her nerves emit from her gut and constrict her throat. She hoped she didn’t read the signals wrong.

“Will you marry me?” Regina’s breath tumbled out unevenly, her sob broken up and coming out as a small cry of joy. She nodded enthusiastically, bouncing slightly in Emma’s lap, and the blonde felt her heart swell and flutter, “That’s a yes, right?”

“That’s a hell yes,” Regina chuckled and Emma smiled goofily as she opened the box, revealing a white gold band with a beautiful diamond in the center surrounded by sapphire diamonds that brightened up the entire ring, “It’s beautiful.”

“Blue is your favorite color and it’s a bit classy and a bit unique, like you.” Emma stated proudly as she watched Regina stare at the band before lifting her hand and slipping the ring onto her finger without obstruction. 

Regina chuckled, “Wow, a lot of firsts today. I watch a sunrise for the first time, I made love with my girlfriend for the first time, and, for the first time, I received a marriage proposal that I actually wanted to accept.”

“Fiancée, you made love with your fiancée for the first time.” Regina hummed.

“Good lord, your mother is going to be insufferable when she sees the ring.”


	5. Number 13: Play Tennis

“We’re supposed to have breakfast with Henry and my parents.” Emma winced when she heard Regina groan and shake her head. They were in bed, at the mansion, tangled together after their exciting time at the beach and their lovemaking back home. Regina twirled the ring around her finger anxiously, watching the diamond reflect the bright sunlight through its prisms. 

“It’s going to sound like a One Direction concert when Snow see’s this ring.” Emma chuckled, knowing her mother was usually very over the top, especially about matters of the heart. 

“Yeah, hopefully they’ll be happy screams,” Emma joked before receiving a swift kick to her shin, “Ow! Okay, okay! They will be happy screams! With any luck, they won’t rupture our eardrums. I want you to be able to hear me say ‘I do’.”

Regina smiled, holding back a giggle, “Yes, well, what time and where are we meeting?”

“9 at the apartment.” Emma mumbled into Regina’s neck. 

“Emma!” Regina scrambled out of the bed, effectively startling the other woman, “It’s 9:53!”

“Huh?” The blonde swiveled to unlock her phone screen, seeing that, yes, they were already very late and that she had twenty-two missed calls from Snow and Charming, “Son of a bitch.”

“Call them before they…” A knock sounded at the front door and Regina sighed, “Come here.”

Emma let out a long groan as she flopped onto the mattress and pressed a pillow against her face. The brunette rolled her eyes when she heard the second knock that sounded just a bit more frantic. She used magic to change into a pressed skirt and blouse before strolling towards the bed and ripping the pillow away from the blonde’s face, “If I have to deal with this, so do you. Get your ass up.”

Regina sauntered to the foyer and opened the door with a sickly sweet, extremely fake smile. Snow, Charming, and Henry stood on the front porch and Regina greeted them, “Hello, dears.”

“Regina,” Snow sighed, “We’ve been calling you both incessantly and you never picked up. Did you two forget that we had…”

Regina leaned in, wondering why the woman had trailed off so suddenly, when she realized that the younger brunette was staring owlishly at the hand on the doorframe, her left hand. The older woman peered at the other two in front of her and saw that they were staring at Snow, in the dark about what was going on. Regina had a feeling that Storybrooke was about to hear why Snow trailed off and her former stepdaughter did not disappoint.

“Is that a ring on your left hand?” Snow whispered, her chin quivering. Regina lifted her palms to placate and was about to respond when Snow began jumping while shrieking loudly, “You’re getting married!”

The brunette and the men covered their ears as Snow continued squealing, clapping, and screeching. Her excitement was so loud that Regina’s neighbors began cracking open their windows to roughly plead for peace and quiet or to simply tell the woman to shut up as they had all seen the proposal coming for years. Regina just scowled at that one, sending King George a glare that could cut skin. 

“Mom! Relax!” Emma ran down from the bedroom, thankfully fully clothed, and clamped a hand over Snow’s mouth to muffle the cries of joy as she steered her into the mansion, motioning with her head for the boys to follow. Regina watched on with a smirk but her mind was going a mile a minute. She knew that she was going to have to deal with Snow and Charming being her in-laws, which was such a strange concept in her mind, and subconsciously began wringing her hands together when she felt Henry’s little, but slightly chubby thanks to Emma, fingers cover hers.

“They’re just excited and they want you to officially be a part of their family,” Henry interlaced their fingers and started leading her to the dinning room, where Emma had dragged Snow, “It’s a good thing.”

“I suppose it’s just weird for me. I love your mother and I have made amends with Snow but being her daughter in law? That’s outrageous, right?”

“Emma told me that label’s suck and shouldn’t be used. Anyway, you were her stepmother in the past and you didn’t even want to be. I know that, Emma knows that and so does grandma. Why do you think she’s so excited? I think she just wants you and mom to be happy, no matter what.”

Regina cleared her throat and smiled through pursed lips, “Thank you Henry.”

“And mom, Ma told me and grandma and grandpa about the bucket list,” Regina held her breath until she saw his wide grin, “and it sounds like a great idea! We actually brought a bunch of rackets and tennis balls so that we can play after breakfast.”

The brunette smiled fully this time, glad that Henry embraced her instead of rejecting her, “I can’t wait, darling.”

“Me neither! I’ve never played tennis!” He stated enthusiastically. The older woman reflected on how far her relationship with her son had come. Just over a year before, he had been so distant and she had been lying about everything. Now, they were close and Regina couldn’t be happier, especially that she not only had him but she had Emma, “And mom?”

“Yes, sweetheart?” 

“I’m so happy that you and Ma are getting married.” Regina felt her heart swell with pride. Her son was growing to be such a good person and knowing that she had a hand in it was remarkable.

“Me too.” Regina whispered, wrapping her arm around his shoulders, before walking into the dinning room to see Snow breathing into a bag while tears streamed down her face, “Oh no.”

Emma snorted, “Yeah, once she got in here, she started wheezing. She’s happy though, I guess.”

Snow put up her thumb to show her approval but continued breathing into the brown bag erratically. Charming stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder, “Congratulations to the both of you from the both of us.”

“Thanks dad.” Emma smiled, rubbing soothing circles over Snow’s heaving back while her mother cried even harder. Regina stood by awkwardly, her hands beginning to twitch once again as Henry wasn’t holding them anymore. She wasn’t completely acclimated to being on friendly terms with the couple she spent decades trying to separate so when they were in the same room, she felt off balance. She couldn’t do what she used to and she couldn’t just forget everything that had happened. 

~_~_~

“Okay, well, Henry informed me that we’re crossing another item off the list after breakfast,” Regina flashed a small, insecure smile, “so let’s eat. We have tennis to play.” 

The breakfast was hectic, with Snow continuing to cry as she chewed on her eggs and toast and Charming making jokes about Snow possibly choking on her eggs and toast. Emma thought the entire thing was hilarious, smirking over her coffee mug and Henry just giggled under his breath. Regina, though, stared at the younger brunette carefully, befuddled as to why the woman was so teary. She kept hearing everyone say that Snow was happy, was ecstatic, but to Regina, it looked like the woman was ready to drown in her own tears. 

By the time they arrived at the empty tennis court, Snow was simply sniffling quietly, wiping her nose on a tissue that she had stuffed in the pocket of her shorts. The family had changed into sporting apparel and was carrying their rackets. 

“Okay, so who knows how to play?” Emma bellowed from across the court. Snow and Charming raised their hands while Regina stared at the racket like it had come alive and morphed into a snake, making Emma and Henry grin.

“Mom, dad, play on this court,” She pointed at the right court before turning to her son and fiancée, “And you two, follow me.” 

“Emma, what is this contraption?” Regina continued peering at the racket distrustfully.

“It’s called a racket, babe. You hit the ball with it,” Emma took waved the two beginners over to the wall outside of the caged courts where her parents were playing, horribly but playing nonetheless. She positioned Henry in front of the wall and Regina off to the side to watch.

“Okay, kid, all you have to do is bounce the ball on the floor, hit it when’s its waist level, and get ready for it to come back so you can give it a good whack.” 

Henry slammed the ball against the floor and hit it soundly when it came back up. The resounding smack of the ball hitting the wall made Regina cringe, “My lord, that thing is a projectile!”

“It’s fine,” Emma whispered, wrapping her arms around Regina’s waist as Henry made contact once again and sent the ball flying back towards the wall, “Nice! Good job, kid!”

Regina plucked at the racket’s nylon strings anxiously as she whispered, “Why was your mother so emotional?”

“I don’t know. It’s kind of hard to get an answer from her when she’s wheezing like an asthmatic,” Emma joked, her hand’s friskily squeezing Regina’s full hips. The brunette sighed, turning in Emma’s arms after giving Henry one last check. She grabbed onto Emma’s soft shirt, rubbing the material between her fingers.

“I just wonder what would happen if she wasn’t open to this development,” Emma furrowed her brows so Regina added, “If your parents, your mother, told you that they would not accept a marriage between us, would you leave me?”

Emma startled, her smile falling off of her lips as she peered into Regina’s insecure eyes. She furrowed her brows and stared at the brunette before whispering, “That’s what’s got you down? You think I would leave you? After everything I’ve said to you?”

Regina gazed at the floor, her sneaker lightly kicking at gravel, “Emma, everyone I have ever loved has either hurt me or left me. I love you so much and sometimes… I feel like I’m waiting for disaster to strike. And for some reason, I feel like this is the catastrophe, your mother not approving, because that’s what you’ve been looking for all of your life, your parents.”

Emma’s hands rose to cradle Regina’s jaw and locked their gazes, “If my mother has a problem, she can learn to live with it… because I’m not leaving you, not now or ever. You and Henry are my family, the family I choose. Would I love it if my parents could be a part of that? Of course, but I’m not ending this relationship because of or for them. You hearing me?”

Regina nodded, her eyes glistening, “Alright.”

“I want you. I love you.” Emma leaned forward to punctuate her statement with a brief but passionate kiss before leaning their foreheads against one another’s. 

“I love you too, Emma. That’s why I’m afraid.” The brunette nuzzled their noses, her eyes closed to block the tears from falling. They were supposed to be playing tennis horribly while laughing and joking, not crying and having heart to hearts. Regina cleared her throat and physically shook herself off, rubbing her palms on her black tights. 

“Come on, babe, let’s teach you how to play tennis.” Emma interlaced their fingers and walked to where Henry was at a hot streak, counting each success hit under his breath.

“Forty-one, forty-two,” The next bounce took a strange bounce off of the wall and Henry wasn’t able to recover, missing the stroke by a few inches, “Dang it!”

“Kid, you’re doing great!” Emma high-fived the boy, who smiled widely at the compliment, as Regina reached forward to lovingly stroke his hair. 

“Are you going to try to teach mom now?” The boy smirked, knowing that he wanted to be present to see whatever debacle his Ma was about to endure. 

“Yeah, stand over there so you don’t get hit,” The blonde pointed to where the two women had been standing before turning to Regina, who was once again staring at the large wall in front of her warily, “Okay, babe, same instructions as I gave the kid. Give it a shot.”

Regina bounced the ball softly, swinging at it when it was waist level and sent it hurtling towards the wall. But she hit it with too much strength and the ball returned rapidly, aiming for the brunette, who squealed and ducked. The ball flew right past her head and smashed into Emma’s gut causing the blonde to double over.

“Emma!” They heard Snow shriek, making Henry cringe, as Regina crawled to the blonde sprawled on the floor. The older brunette leaned over the blonde as Snow and Charming ran out of the caged area and to them. Henry stepped forward as sort of a blockade between his mothers and his grandparents. He heard the whole conversation between Regina and Emma as he played and he realized that his mom had a right to feel insecure, especially considering the fact that he had been one of the loved ones to leave her. He never cherished his mother before but now he knew that she was meant to raise him, to mold him, and he wasn’t going to let anyone, not even his grandparents, get in the way of her happiness.

“Darling? Are you okay?” Regina whispered hurriedly, concerned that Emma’s face was scrunched up in pain and she wasn’t responding. Regina leaned even closer to ask again but Emma suddenly jerked forward and wrapped her arms around the brunette, pulling Regina on top of her and kissing her neck. They heard sighs of relief come from Snow and Charming. Regina backed away, still uncomfortable with physical affection in front of Emma’s parents, and Emma followed, sitting on her ass.

“Wow, babe, if you had a bone to pick with me, you could’ve just said so.” The blonde joked and Regina swiftly smacked her forearm, “But seriously, that was some hit. I’m pretty sure the oxygen left my body for a few seconds there.”

“I’m so sorry, my love.” Regina extended a hand and helped Emma to her feet.

“I guess you weren’t kidding when you said a tennis ball could be a projectile.” Emma placed a loving kiss on her cheek, lingering a moment to take in Regina’s sweet perfume.

“That was so scary,” Snow whispered dramatically, “We saw something fly at you and then you collapse! Regina, you have to be more careful!”

“I know—“

“Wait a second,” Emma interrupted, “She didn’t mean it. She would never hurt me intentionally, okay?”

Snow lifted a brow sardonically before becoming neutral once again, “Of course.”

“No, no, no. What was that face? Is there an issue here?” Emma stepped towards her mother ominously, bumping Henry away, and Charming moved to get in between mother and daughter as Regina placed her hand on the blonde’s shoulder. 

“Everyone just relax, alright? Snow, I didn’t mean to hurt Emma. I just didn’t know how to play,” Regina stated factually, trying to keep her voice from cracking. She could feel the disaster looming above her, “And, darling, your mother is just worried. Imagine how you would react if someone hit Henry and he collapsed.”

Charming threw her a grateful look when Emma moved away; walking towards the cars, “Let me talk to her.”

And then there were three. Regina cleared her throat, not knowing what else to do in the thick tension that had surrounded them. Henry grabbed his mother’s hand in support, interlacing their fingers.

“Henry, sweetheart, why don’t you play some more, hm? I need to talk to your grandmother,” The boy frowned but complied, picking up his racket and strolling to the court. The older woman grabbed Snow’s arm and put some space between Henry and them so that the boy couldn’t hear their conversation, “What’s going on, Snow? I thought we made amends.”

The younger woman looked away, her gaze on a bird tweeting in the trees, “I thought so too, but seeing the ring, at first, made me happy because my baby girl was getting married. Then I realized whom she was marrying and I can’t stop thinking all of these negative thoughts. Regina, we’ve spent decades hating one another. It’s not going to go away just because we bonded in the back of Granny’s.”

Regina felt her heart tightened with fear, “What’re you saying right now, Snow? You don’t want Emma and I together?”

“No!” Regina’s eyes widened and Snow was quick to correct, “No, I do want you together. It’s just… marriage is a big step and… Okay, I feel like you’re taking my daughter away from me again. First, she runs to tend to you when you’re ill, moves in with you, dates you, and gets engaged within a year! It’s moving too fast for me to feel comfortable. So, I’m happy that you make Emma happy but I don’t want you to get married.”

Snow shrugged her shoulders, as if she hadn’t just imploded Regina’s universe. The older brunette peered down at her ring, twirling it around her finger. She caught Snow’s questioning gaze and Regina sighed angrily, “What would you like me to do?”

“Regina—“

“Do you want me to call off the engagement?” Snow stared into Regina’s anguished eyes as they released long held tears. She just watched, entranced by the emotions floating through the chocolate orbs. 

“Regina—“

“Because I won’t! I love her and for the first time since Daniel, I feel whole again. The void that his death left behind is being filled. And please don’t make her choose between you and I because it’s not fair to her. Emma deserves the world. She deserves that,” Regina felt a tear roll down her cheek, “And Emma has made me believe that maybe I deserve it too.”

“Oh, Regina, you do deserve it,” Snow’s eyes were burning as a smile appeared. She shook her head, marveled once again by the enigma that was Regina Mills, and stepped forward to place her hand on the other woman’s bicep, “You both deserve it. God, I feel like an idiot.”

“As you should.” That got Regina a hearty glare. Snow released a shaky breath.

“With this marriage, I’m not losing Emma. I’m getting my relationship with you back,” Snow let her hand travel down her arm to attach their hands, “We’re family again, Regina, and this time, we’ll do it right.”

The older brunette felt a shiver of relief run up her spine, her heart bursting with jovial cheer, as she snapped her arms around Snow’s shoulders and held tight, “We’ve always been family. It’s just that my vendetta blinded me, Snow. And today, I did it again, automatically expecting the worst.”

Snow pulled back to look into her expressive brown eyes, “Yes, well, you’ve traveled a hard path. But now, we’re here and we need to live it to the fullest. Almost losing you all those months ago, it scared me and when I heard about your bucket list, I couldn’t help but be overjoyed that you were getting out of your comfort zone. Plus, Emma told me that you want Charming and I to come to Six Flags with you.”

“It was a moment of insanity.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Snow giggled, “Let’s go talk to Emma and get this whole thing over with.”

“Yes and play some more tennis,” Regina smirked, “Preferably without impaling Emma with a neon yellow ball.”

“Yes, preferably.”


	6. Number 7: Beach Home

Two days passed in relative bliss since Snow and Regina’s conversation at the courts, especially since Emma calmed down and had her own lengthy talk with her mother. Regina was just glad that everything was calm once more. She was completely exasperated with drama and unnecessary fighting. The former queen spent a lifetime doing just that, fighting the world at every turn, and she felt compelled to just slow down. She found that her anger was diminishing to simmer when it came to the peasants of Storybrooke. Regina discovered that they doled out forgiveness easily when told to do so by Snow White, who was really becoming quite annoying with the idea that they were best friends all of a sudden. The younger brunette even brought them matching friendship bracelets, as if they were five year olds wearing sundresses and playing with Barbie’s. The woman hardly gave Regina any breathing room or alone time when her work day ended at four thirty in the afternoon by going over to the mansion to just ‘pop in and say hi’. 

However, when Emma was at work finishing up the necessary paperwork for their vacation and Henry was at school taking his finals, Regina could relax and enjoy the silence. She would watch TV in her sweats, learn new recipes, surf the web, or do some gardening, which was what she was doing when Emma arrived. The brunette was tending to her apple tree, which had been relocated to her backyard after she was booted from the mayor’s office. Regina looked at the section where Emma had taken a chainsaw to it with nostalgia. 

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Emma snuck up behind her, making her jump, before wrapping her arms around her and nuzzling her face into Regina’s short, chocolate locks. 

“This tree has been with me for so long. It was one of the things I brought with me in the curse because it was so important to me,” She felt Emma stiffen, “It’s okay, Emma. She’s fine.”

Regina lovingly patted the tree’s bark as Emma whispered, “Still. I apologize, Gina. It was an asshole move on my part. I mean, I knew you loved this tree and I fucking took a chainsaw to it.”

“To be fair, I was being quite a bitch to you as well,” Regina chuckled, “My, my, how far we’ve come, darling.”

Emma smiled as she kissed the shell of Regina’s ear, making the brunette squirm, “I think it’s so cute that you’re ticklish.”

“And I loathe that you discovered it.” The brunette turned in the embrace to place a sweet peck on Emma’s lips, “What’re doing home so early?”

“Oh, yeah! I have a surprise!” Emma grinned, her eyes twinkling brightly. Regina allowed the blonde to pull her to through the house and to the Bug before asking the obvious.

“What’s the surprise?” The blonde just shook her head and ushered her lover into the yellow car. The drive was short, possibly ten minutes, and Regina stared at her surrounding carefully, trying to ascertain where they were headed. The only noteworthy locations in the direction in which they were traveling was the beach where they had made love the first time and the docks. As they neared the beach, Emma made a sharp left turn onto a small trail that was hidden in the forest behind the beach. Then Emma slowed down and halted in the middle of the trail and Regina glanced around before catching what the surprise was. There, in the clearing, was a beautiful beach house with a garage. It stood tall, two stories, with a modern appearance that peeked out from the trees and sat halfway into the woods and halfway onto the sandy beach. 

“Emma?” Regina turned to gape at the blonde, who was smiling widely with her hands clasped together.

“You like it?” Regina chuckled, the shock making her voice a bit high-pitched.

“This… is ours?” Emma nodded excitedly, grabbing Regina’s left hand and giving it a kiss, “How… did you do this?”

“Magic, babe. I took me a few days but I think it’s perfect and I put in a game room for Henry and everything.” The blonde hopped out of the Bug and ran to the passenger side to assist Regina out. The brunette stared at the home in awe, her feet automatically taking her towards it. The blonde grabbed her hand and hurdled them into the front foyer. The marble floor was smooth and dark grey, it’s simplistic nature combining with the white walls perfectly. The staircase was large and elegant but its wooden handrails gave it a rustic feel. 

“Emma, this is beautiful!” She cried, stroking the walls with reverence. The blonde chuckled.

“It’s rustic, like me, but has a classy edge, like you. There’s six bedrooms, each has it’s own bathroom, and a deck that. But what I’m obsessed with is,” Emma lead them through the home, into the back where there was a large glass window that covered the entire wall and allowed one to see the beach clearly.

“Wow! That’s amazing!” The brunette gushed, feeling her excitement boiling over into all of her movements.

“But wait! There’s more. Check this out,” Emma pulled out a remote from a drawer next to the humongous couch and pressed a button that frosted the once clear glass, “Oh! Ah!”

Regina chuckled at the blonde’s antics, “Maybe you should quit and become an interior designer.”

“But wait… There’s more!” Emma touched another button and the glass parted so that you could walk into from the living room floor onto the sand, “Bam!”

Regina smiled as she walked toward the beach, dipping her toe into the warm sand and sighing, “This is perfect, Emma. Thank you.”

“Seeing you smile like that is all the thanks I need, babe,” The blonde’s eyes darted to Regina’s plump, red lips, “Would you like to see our bedroom?”

The brunette bit her lip, her eye’s smoldering, “Lead the way.”

They climbed the stairs side-by-side, sending one another fiery glances that ignited a need deep in their bellies. Emma led the brunette to the right, where there was a single door and entered into the spacious room, but gave off a warm feel. Emma walked up behind her as she inspected every detail and began kissing her neck sensually, her tongue casually dragging across Regina’s pulse point, making the older woman hum in appreciation. Emma’s hands roamed over Regina’s abdomen before sliding upward to momentarily squeeze the woman’s small yet perk breasts. She tweaked the nipple through the clothes as her tongue dipped into the brunette’s ear. 

Regina reached down to pull her sweatshirt over her head, leaving her bare as she wore no bra, and tossed it onto the loveseat by the closet. She turned and Emma immediately latched her mouth onto Regina’s nipples, swirling her tongue around the nub before flicking it and nibbling gently. The brunette’s head dangled to the side and when Emma released the sensitive nipple, she lightly pushed Regina onto the king sized bed, making sure that the brunette’s ass was hanging off the edge. The sheriff tugged the sweatpants and panties down long legs, kissing the olive skin as she descended with the items, before kneeling on the plush carpet, leaning forward, and swinging Regina’s legs over her shoulder. Emma licked from Regina’s knee up to the apex of her thighs and moved to do the same to the other thigh. By the time she finished, Regina was squirming, her hips bucking and begging for attention, which Emma gladly gave when she kissed her clit. 

“Oh,” Regina moaned. They had not experimented with oral sex at all and for both, it would be the first time. Emma, though, had been researching on the Internet and watched several educational videos. So, she smiled when Regina bucked, a guttural groan escaping, as swirled her tongue over a throbbing clit teasingly, “Oh!”

After a minute of little nips, licks, and kisses, Emma dove in fully, taking the clit into her mouth and giving it a hearty suck, “Oh, fuck!”

She released with a flick of her tongue and began circling it roughly as Regina hips rose and fell, creating a beautiful friction that had the brunette tittering on the edge. Emma kept up with the rhythm of Regina’s hips before inserting two fingers into the brunette’s tight channel and thrusting slowly, curling her upwards to rub the sensitive spot on her inner wall. Regina hissed, her hand reaching down to latch onto blonde locks, while propping on her left elbow to watch Emma eat her out. 

“Emma, yes. Oh shit,” Regina whined, their pace hurrying as she became more and more desperate for the release building in her belly, “Fuck me, Emma. Yes, like that.”

The blonde groaned, turned on by the words flowing from her fiancée’s mouth. The vibrations sent tingles throughout Regina’s body, tickling even her toes. The brunette used her free hand to pinch the nipple closest to her, squeezing hard as she got closer to her peak. Emma felt her arm cramping but refused to stop, not when her lover was right there. The blonde threw an arm over Regina’s midsection, pausing their bucking so that she could take the clit into her mouth and suck while flicking her tongue over it repeatedly until Regina’s body tightened and she let out a scream.

“Oh God! Emma!” The hand entwined in her hair pulled roughly but Emma continued sucking until she felt her lover’s body slacken. The brunette moaned one last time as Emma gave a departing, long lick to her pussy. The blonde kissed up Regina’s body but when she reached those red lips, she sealed their lips together so that she could taste herself. They both let out a moan as their tongues battled for dominance and their flavors meshed. 

Emma pulled back, “What a way to thank me.”

“Oh, shut up, you idiot.” Regina chuckled as she used her calves to throw Emma onto the bed so she could return the favor.


	7. Number 6: Sunset

They were kissing languidly, just enjoying the feel of each other’s lips as their nipples rubbed, sending tingles throughout their bodies. The bedroom in the beach home had been thoroughly christened until the early afternoon and they were both exhausted but unready to sleep, as they just wanted to be with one another. Judging by the clock on the side table, they had an hour before Snow, Charming, and Henry arrived. So, they didn’t allow their passion to take them further than the leisurely kissing and mild petting. Emma’s hands traversed Regina’s body, lingering on her full hips.

“We should get dressed so I can go make those sandwiches for Henry. He always comes home hungry, as if the school doesn’t feed him.” Regina let out a chuckle that quickly turned into a moan as Emma nipped at her earlobe.

“He’s got my appetite, babe.” The blonde replied, her breath tickling the brunette’s neck. The older woman untangled from Emma’s koala-like embrace, walked to her closet to change, and returned to the room to see Emma snoring lightly, burrowed under a pile of pillows and covers. She smiled as she pulled the blanket securely around Emma’s body, kissing her forehead, before shutting the door and leaving to search for the kitchen. She finally located the room and gasped at the beautiful dark wood cabinets contrasting with the white marble floors and countertops. Regina grinned as she trailed her hands over the center island, marveling at the details. 

After a few moments of awe, the brunette flicked her wrist and filled the refrigerator and cabinets with the family’s favorite foods and fresh ingredients. Of course, Regina could have made sandwiches with her magic but the brunette always enjoyed cooking, especially after decades of learning recipes and techniques. So, Regina took out the bread, the meats and cheeses, and the condiments along with ceramic plates. She untied the bread and retrieved ten slices before retying the bag and magically sending it back to its original location somewhere in the cabinets. As she placed two slices on each plate, she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist and warm lips kiss her neck.

“You left me. I feel abandoned, babe.” Regina chuckled at Emma’s playful tone.

“I told you to get your glorious ass out of bed,” Regina turned to cradle the blonde’s jaw, “but, as per usual, you completely ignored me.”

Emma clicked her tongue as she snatched a piece of ham from the open plastic container on the island and shoved it into her mouth unceremoniously, prompting Regina to mutter, “Completely uncivilized.” 

Emma winked at her flirtatiously as she chewed, taking a seat at the center island to watch Regina build the sandwiches. Once she swallowed, she cleared her throat, “You know Henry finishes school on Friday and my dad and I are good to go. We trained the two new deputies and they are set to hold down the fort while we’re gone so I think we should start planning this Six Flags slash Niagara Falls trip.”

“Perhaps tonight we can discuss particulars with your parents?” Emma nodded while staring at the Muenster cheese longingly.

“Yeah, sounds great,” Emma squealed when Regina handed her a piece of cheese then added, “Oh, and I thought that maybe we could hang out, all of us, here until late so that we could watch the sunset together.”

Regina smiled at the fact that the blonde already could recite her list back to her and chuckled a bit, “I’d love that.”

Emma watched in silence as Regina sauntered through the kitchen to retrieve utensils, muttering to herself about the serving sizes. She fought the grin that threatened to appear. The last few days had been a hectic, with them having sex for first time, getting engaged, and the small standoff with Snow. So, Emma never had the chance to ask her lover an important question that had been burning in the back of her brain. She was a tad bit afraid to ask, as Regina had never talked about it, but it was a dream of hers, something she wanted desperately, and she just hoped that her fiancée wouldn’t laugh in her face or be upset. 

“Gina?” She whispered, luckily, or unluckily depending on how the conversation would go, garnering the brunette’s attention. 

“Yes, darling?” Regina grinned, her fingers nimbly assembling the first sandwich. Emma cracked her knuckles as she sighed silently. 

“There’s been something on my mind and I’ve been wanting to bring it up but I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything—“

“Emma, this isn’t about the dirty pictures I found on your computer, is it? Because I’ve already told you that I wouldn’t mind using a strap—“

“No!” Emma blushed, “That’s not what I want to talk to you about. But please bookmark that cause I never thought you’d agree to that.”

Regina chuckled as she sent a wink towards the blonde, “I can surprise you every once in a while. So, what do you want to ask?”

“I… would like to consider having… more children.” Regina froze, her eyes going wide, and Emma hissed, “Damn it! I shouldn’t have asked!”

Regina saw Emma scrunch her brows, “No, Emma, it’s not that. Its just… there are thing’s you don’t know and I think we should talk about that first. But I would like that for us, another child, but this time we could raise him or her together. It sounds wonderful.”

Emma sighed with relief, “Yeah?”

“Yes, darling, of course!” Regina chuckled breathlessly, “I had no idea that you were even contemplating this.”

“Uh,” Emma scratched the back of her neck, “I’ve been scared to… bring it up. I was kinda preparing to be disappointed.”

“Why would you think I would be opposed?” Regina questioned, her eyes never leaving the blonde’s and Emma squirmed.

“You never talked about it, never even looked at babies with longing or anything, so I just assumed that you thought Henry was enough.”

“He is enough but another child could only add happiness to our lives. I promise, darling, I’m open to the idea, more than open actually.” Regina grabbed Emma’s chin and gave it a loving squeeze before returning to the sandwiches. The blonde knew she shouldn’t push her luck but she needed to know.

“Babe, what… what are the things I don’t know… about you and pregnancy?” Emma had an idea. After all, the single mother had adopted instead of natural means or insemination. From what Regina had told her, adoption had been the first and only option, which Emma was now grateful for, as it brought her to Storybrooke, her parents, and ultimately, to her true love. 

The brunette sighed as she finished the last sandwich and placed them on plates before pushing them to the center of the island. She turned to Emma and sat next to her, “When I was young, I sent my mother through an enchanted mirror to another realm. One day, during my rule as the Evil Queen, she found her way back to my castle and she tried to set me up with some misogynistic ass because she wanted grandchildren. At the time, I was so cynical and believed it was a power play on her part to keep our legacy going. So, to spite her, I drank a potion that made me infertile. I regretted it the moment it slid down my throat but I was powerless to stop it. Later, here in Storybrooke, I felt so empty and I had always wanted a child. Then I discovered that I could adopt a child and I ran to Gold. And you know the rest.”

Emma stared at her sadly, “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry?” Regina scoffed, “I did it to myself. I was an idiot.”

“Yeah, well, depression makes a lot of people do things that they usually would never do,” Emma blinked rapidly to dispel tears, “Believe me, I know. Life as a foster kid was real hard and I had my moments. It’s okay now though, huh? I can carry the baby and we could pick out some good sperm.”

Regina shook her head, “No, I would like to adopt a child.”

“Really?” Emma smiled, as if she had wanted that all along but hid her opinion to please the other woman, “You want to adopt again?”

Regina nodded emphatically, “Yes, there are so many innocent children that need a home, that deserve a good life. Kids like one young Emma Swan.”

That did it. A sob crawled up from Emma’s lungs and escaped with a grunt, her mind shutting down at hearing anyone call her innocent. She was always told that she was a delinquent, a runaway, trouble that no one wanted to deal with. But this woman, her future wife, wanted her, all of her, even the troublesome aspects. She wanted to put up with Emma’s crap every day for the rest of her life and the blonde couldn’t stop the tears because, for once, someone wanted her without expectation of perfection. Henry had searched for her, wanted her, with the image of a mother that was a savior. Her parents had abandoned her in order to save a bunch of fairytale characters and, even currently, they had no idea how to deal with her. They loved her but they didn’t understand her, not the way Regina automatically did. 

The brunette immediately wrapped Emma up in her arms and whispered, “Could you imagine us with a baby? We’re going to be an absolute mess.”

Emma chuckled nasally, the tears still flowing, “You’ll be a natural. Me though? I’m going to fuck up so bad.”

“I know you think that but you have such good instincts, my love,” Regina kissed Emma’s temple, “You’re going be an amazing mother. You’ll see… and then I’ll say I told you so.”

“Of course you would,” Emma let out a bark of laughter as she reached for the napkin Regina had conjured and wiped her eyes and nose, “God, I’m going to get presentable. They should be here any minute.”

~_~_~

“Dinner was delicious, Regina! Thank you for the invitation!” Charming bellowed unevenly from the sand below as the women drank wine on the deck. The Charming’s and Henry arrived mid-afternoon and they were given the Emma Swan grand tour, including the sound effects and hand gestures. Henry loved the house, even suggesting that they could live there during the summer, away from the town center. Emma instantly agreed that it would be nice and Regina compromised that they could spend weekends at the beach home and weekdays back at Mifflin. Snow and Charming practically tried to buy the house off of them, explaining that the property was simply gorgeous, almost magical. If only they knew. 

“Thank you, Charming!” Regina yelled back, her deep voice echoing in the air. Snow slurped on her fifth glass of red and Regina knew that the intoxicated couple would be spending the night.

“This view is magnificent,” Snow slurred slightly, “Just look at that lake! Humongous!”

“That’s the ocean, grandma.” Snow gasped, her hand over her heart.

“So beautiful.” She whispered in awe and Regina had to bite her lip to keep in the laughter. Emma, on the other hand, was giggling like a schoolgirl beneath her hand. They all turned their gazes toward the sunset and watched with admiration as nature took its course. Regina sighed and smiled lightly, her eyes taking in the view, momentarily flickering to check that Charming, who was decidedly tipsy, hadn’t tripped and was suffocating on sand. 

“You know, I can’t wait for Six Flags!” Snow hiccupped, “When did we say we’re going again?”

“For the hundredth time mom, we’re leaving next Monday at four in the morning.”

“Four a.m.?” Snow shrieked, making Henry jump and almost fly out of his chair.

“Yes, it’s a seven hour drive, give or take an hour, and we want to check into our nice hotel early so we can hang out at the waterpark, Hurricane Harbor.” Emma answered, feeling like she had repeated the same thing at least six different times. Apparently, alcohol made Snow forgetful. 

“I don’t get why we’re going all the way to New Jersey when there’s a Six Flags in Massachusetts.” Snow asked before downing the rest of her glass. She reached for the bottle but Regina swiped it out of her reach, effectively cutting her off for the night.

“No more wine for you. And the New Jersey location has a sentimental value to Emma,” Snow reached for the bottle again and this time received a swift pinch on her hand, making the younger brunette cry out, “Well, I said no more.”

Snow pouted, dramatically thrusting her body into the chair, and stared off into the horizon as they heard a thump sound from below. Emma jumped up, “Dad?”

“I’m okay!” He drawled, stretching out the ‘o’ in okay. Emma closed her eyes as she huffed.

“Come up here, dad. Watch the sunset with us.” They heard Charming’s clunky boots, as they climbed the stairs slowly, and some grunting with each step.

“Wow, they’re nuts,” Henry chuckled, staring at his grandmother, who was dead asleep with her mouth hanging open and some quiet snores reverberating off the back of her throat, “Hey, look, I can see that dangly thing in the back of her throat!”

“It’s called a uvula and please wake her up and take her to a guest room,” Regina turned to see Charming taking labored breaths and pointed at him, “You too. Follow Henry. It’s bed time.”

“But it’s only eight?” Charming whined and Regina didn’t even fight the urge to roll her eyes.

“Yes and you’re both extremely intoxicated. You’ll fall asleep the moment your head hits that pillow. Go on, follow Henry.” The boy gestured with his free hand for his grandfather to follow as he held his grandmother’s arm. Charming joined his grandson but grumbled until out of earshot. Emma then let out a small chuckle.

“Wow!” She laughed harder, remembering all of the goofy things they had said throughout the night. Regina smirked as she twirled her glass in an attempt to bring out the flavor of the red wine.

“Yes, darling, wow is right. Remind to never, ever give them alcohol again.” Regina joked while looking off to the horizon, watching the last remnants of sun dip below the waves. 

Emma hummed, “I love you.”

“I love you too, darling.” Regina beamed, her affection showing clearly in her chocolate eyes.

“One day, babe, when Henry get’s married, we should give him the mansion and come live here,” The brunette hummed in agreement, sipping a bit from her glass, “Our grandbabies could come and hang out with us on the beach.”

“By that time, we’ll probably be dealing with a teenager.” Emma furrowed her brow.

“What’d you mean?” Regina laughed, astonished that the blonde already forgot what they had spoken about.

“Darling, if we adopt a baby, the child would, most likely, be a teenager when Henry begins his own family. For example, let’s say when adopt next year. Henry would be twelve, going on thirteen. So, when she’s a teenager, let’s say fifteen, he’ll be around twenty-seven. Unless Henry waits until he’s older then she may be away at school or working or she could live with us until we rot. Whatever,” Regina sipped once more and furrowed her brows when she realized that Emma completely silent, which spelled trouble on a good day. She turned to see Emma smiling goofily at her, “What?”  
“She?” Emma asked breathlessly.

“Excuse me?” The brunette scrunched her nose and tilted her head. Emma’s smile grew wider.’

“You said she. You want to adopt a little girl.” Regina’s eyes widened, not wanting to force Emma into any decisions. The brunette had always wanted a girl after Henry. She experienced raising a male and wanted to have a little girl. One that would let her braid her hair or play dolls. It had always been a fantasy of Regina’s.

“Well, we could adopt a boy. It doesn’t really matter to me. A child, male or female, would be a true blessing.” 

“A girl sounds perfect, Regina.” The blonde smiled, her eyes glistening. She supposed it was about knowing that Regina actually wanted another child and wasn’t just appeasing her.

“Yes, it does, doesn’t it?” Regina grinned, “It’s perfect.”


	8. Number 1 & 3: Date & Spa

On Thursday, Emma asked Regina out on a date, which was of course accepted happily. The blonde promised a spectacular date on Saturday afternoon. And even after months of dating, Regina felt her heart flutter as she stood in the foyer waiting for Emma to pick her up because, of course, Emma had to spend the day away, planning and setting ‘things’ up. The brunette tried to weasel information from the blonde but her fiancée was tight lipped. 

Regina smoothed down her jeans nervously, her palms slightly sweaty. Because Emma would not give her any hints, Regina dressed for anything with tight black jeans, a red blouse, and a pair of comfortable black heels. She started to pace, lost in thought.

So, she jumped when her son chuckled, “Calm down, would you?”

“I’m nervous. I’ve never been on a date.” Regina sighed, her hands on her abdomen. 

“Mom, she loves you so just… be yourself!” Henry shrugged, as if it was obvious, which in reality, it was. Emma loved Regina, all of her. She loved the dark parts of her soul, as it connected them in ways no one else could understand. They each had their rough pasts. Emma loved her sweet side, as it made her feel wanted and loved. They were meant to be.

“She loves me for me,” Regina cleared her throat, “Just be yourself.”

The doorbell sounded and the brunette let out a yelp, making Henry roll his eyes. He walked to the door and revealed his blonde mother, who was just as fidgety, and smirked, “Not you too.”

“Huh?” Emma stuttered, pulling her shirt down in habit.

“You’re both acting like this is a first date between strangers,” Henry sighed as he turned to face Regina, “Come on, she’s waiting.”

The brunette strolled past Henry and smiled brightly when she saw Emma. It seemed that now that they were gazing into each other’s eyes, the tension and nerves melted away. The fear drained from their eyes and was replaced by total adoration.

“You know, it’s kinda weird that you’re engaged and have never been on a date.” He stated offhandedly, his smirk making a return. The two women shrugged as Emma interlaced their fingers.

“Okay, let’s go kid. We’re dropping you off at the apartment.” The family converged on the front porch as Regina locked up the house before walking to the Bug and driving off to Snow and Charming’s apartment. Henry hopped out of the car after placing a sweet kiss on each mother’s cheek. Finally, for the first time that day, the two lovers were alone. 

“So, are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?” Regina asked, her eyes twinkling with a bit of mischief. Emma grinned, taking her foot off of the brake and checking her mirror. 

“The spa then the arcade.” Regina gaped at her.

“Is that why you said no makeup?” Emma nodded, biting her lip.

“Yeah, you’ve made it clear how important this list is to you and, I figured, what could be more romantic than helping you complete some list items? Plus, the spa is super relaxing and I got us the honeymooners special. They give us complementary champagne, spread rose petals, give us alone time in the hot tub.” 

Emma wiggled her eyebrows and Regina beamed, “This list is very important and, darling, I don’t think I can express how much I appreciate every thing you’ve done to make me happy the past few weeks. I love you.”

“I love you too, so much.” Emma placed a kiss onto the back of Regina’s hand as she pulled into the spa’s parking lot. The setting was serene, with a working waterfall and colorful sand spread around the entrance. The blonde held up a finger, telling Regina to wait, as she hopped out of the car and sprinted to the passenger side to assist the brunette in exiting the car. 

“Thank you.” Regina smiled, kissing Emma for the first time that night, and both melted into it. 

“Let’s go get pampered.” Emma hummed, interlacing their fingers before making their way over a small bridge and to the front entrance, where Emma held the door open for Regina. The interior was beautiful, with light colors and lavender scented air. There was a quiet water fountain in the center that gave the room character. It was lovely.

“Sheriff! Madame Mayor!” A young girl, her nametag said Jasmine, called from behind the front counter.

“Please call me Regina. I am no longer mayor.” The brunette and blonde walked up to the counter, smiling at the Arabian woman, who was typing away on the computer.

Jasmine gazed at them and softly smiled back, “Of course, your majesty. I see you ordered the Honeymooners Package so I’ll lead you to the resting area, where there will be drinks, robes for you to change into, and slippers. Please follow me.”

The couple followed the young woman through the building until she pushed open two large double doors and gestured for them to enter, “You may take off your clothes, including your undergarments, and place them in that cabinet. Once you’ve placed everything inside, you close it and it will automatically lock. I have the keys and when you’re done for the day, I will bring you the keys so that you can change back. Sound good?”

“Yeah, thanks Jasmine.” Emma led her fiancée into the room, noticing the calming aroma originating from a burning candle in the corner.

“No problem. Please enjoy your afternoon at The Genie Spa Retreat.” With that, the young girl closed the doors and left the couple, giving them their privacy. Regina shrugged out of her blouse, winking at the blonde.

“I didn’t know this place existed. I thought we would have to go out of town for this.” The brunette reached down to unbutton her jeans and lower her zipper. She peeked at the blonde, noticing that the blonde was almost nude.

“I was surprised too but I guess Storybrooke has all of the accommodations,” The blonde unclipped her bra, revealing her breasts, “I wonder if we’re doing the mud bath thing?”

“Did you not read what was include in this package?” Regina chuckled, already knowing the answer. Emma was a self-proclaimed nutcase so just buying the package after reading that alcohol was included sounded like something she would do. Regina removed the last article of clothing and slipped into a fluffy, blue robe. She turned to see that Emma was ready and shoving her waded up clothes into the cabinet. Regina folded her items and placed them neatly in her wooden locker. 

“I know that we get alcohol, we get to relax in the hot tub, and that we get massages. I think there’s like three more things but I’m not sure what.” The two women took off their shoes and stepped into the plush slippers. Emma lowered her body onto the couch as pulled Regina onto her lap, kissing her neck sweetly. 

“When I lost Daniel, I never thought I’d feel love again. But I’m so in love with you that I wonder if I ever really knew what romantic love was like. My feelings for you are so intense, Emma. I love you so much.” Regina whispered and Emma felt her eyes burn. No one had ever made Emma feel so wanted, so needed. She knew that a lifetime with the older woman would not be enough.

“And believe me when I say that I never expected anyone to make me feel the way you do, not even Henry’s father. This is something else, Regina, something larger than life.” 

The brunette tucked some of Emma’s hair behind her ear as she leaned in and kissed her passionately. The blonde deepened the kiss, swiping her tongue across Regina’s bottom lip, but jumped apart when they heard some clear their throat. The couple turned to see a lanky boy holding towels, blushing profusely and smiling awkwardly, “Hi, I’m Chuck and… uh, I’m kinda supposed to be your guide. So, I’ll take you from place to place and… yeah.”

Emma bit her lip, not wanting to laugh at the poor man’s stuttering and unsure body language, “Thanks. Lead the way.”

Chuck turned quickly and strolled down the hall, away from where Jasmine had disappeared. They followed eagerly, trying to keep up with the boy’s fast pace. Before they knew it, they entered a room with two massage tables and a wall of oils. Chuck swiveled towards them, without making eye contact, and gestured to the room, “Activity one is couple’s massage. You, uh, take off your robes and cover your a—butt—with the sheets on this table. Enjoy.”

He quickly shut the double doors, once again leaving them alone, and Emma let out a bark of laughter, “He’s a bit weird, right?”

“Yes,” Regina snorted, picking up the white folded sheet and flicking it open, “He blushed like a teenager when he caught us kissing.”

Emma scoffed as she pulled the robe off of the brunette’s shoulders and helped her onto the table, “Gina, he is a teenager!”

Regina chuckled while Emma spread the sheet over her body. The blonde then repeated the process for herself with a bit more struggle. Emma groaned, finally resting after a long day. 

“So, do you have anything else planned?” Regina propped her head on her palm and gazed at her love.

“Well after this, I was thinking dinner since we’ll be out of here by six then I thought we could go to the arcade and try to beat Henry’s high score.” Emma closed her eyes, laying her head onto the hole on the table. 

“Sounds like a plan.” Regina sighed, imitating her fiancée’s position. The double doors opened once again but two bulky men wearing white entered.

“Hello, Sheriff, Madame Mayor,” The blonde man nodded in greeting, “We will be giving you your massages. Sit back and relax and we’ll get started.”

The men used their elbows, hands, and forearms to work out all of the kinks in their muscles. Regina was a bit more refined; letting out small mewls when a knot was eased out. Emma, though, grunted like a linebacker and groaned, making the brunette chuckle a bit. Once the tension had been massaged from their pressure points and muscles, the men simply rubbed the remaining oil deep into their tissue before taking their leave and letting them dress.

“Hot damn. I’m a new woman.” Emma sighed dreamily, stretching her arms above her head and letting out an irregular, drawn out groan. 

“That was extremely relaxing,” Regina smirked a bit, “and a bit of a turn on, darling.”

“Hot damn again,” Emma chuckled but her eyes roamed Regina’s nude body as it sauntered over to the table and slipped on the robe again, “You know, for an oldie, you still got it, babe?”

Regina let out an amused breath, “Excuse me?”

“Last night, Snow was telling me that your birthday is a month away and I started doing some calculations. You have to be at least sixty.”

“You know, darling, I’m doing some calculations and if you keep calling me old, the bed is going to be very chilly, that is if I allow you in it.” Emma let out a bark of laughter as she slipped into her robe. Chuck entered slowly, his eyes screwed shut.

Regina smirked, “We’re decent, Chuck. You can open your eyes.”

The boy opened his eyes and looked around eagerly, his eyes wide as he let out an uneasy chuckle, “Cool, yeah. So, the facials are next.”

Regina and Emma got facials, took a mud bath, and relaxed in the hot tub with champagne. Things had heated up, in more than one way, in the hot tub, as they kissed and fondled. And of course, Chuck entered the moment that Emma had her tongue down Regina’s throat with her hand rubbing her clit through the complimentary swimsuit under the heated water. The boy blushed, stuttered, and tripped on his way out as he yelled over his shoulder, “You know how to get back to the changing room!”

They quickly dried off, their cheeks red with embarrassment, before walking down the familiar hall and entering the changing room that Jasmine had originally led them to. 

“We’ve traumatized Chuck beyond belief.” Regina chuckled darkly, her mischief twinkling in her eyes. Emma bit her lip, holding in a chuckle of her own. 

“I think we’ve given him some juice for his late night fun.” Emma wiggled her eyebrows and Regina threw her a disgusted look, her nose scrunching and her eyes narrowing.

“You’re so crude.” Regina scoffed. They dressed in comfortable silence, throwing the robes into the woven baskets in the corner. They exited the spa, giving Chuck and Jasmine small, shy smiles as they passed the front desk. Emma opened the passenger side to help Regina into the car before jumping into the driver side. 

“Okay, babe, hungry?” Emma asked, her fingers reaching up to caress her fiancée’s cheek.

“Starved, darling.”


	9. Number 1 & 14: Date (Part 2) & Pac Man

Granny had closed the diner to the general public, for a hefty fee of course, so the couple had the place to themselves. Ruby, bless her, had strung up lights around the counters and the walls, dimmed the diner lights, and moved all but one table out of the main room. The table had battery-operated candles and rose petals. The blonde had chuckled when she saw what the wolf had done but the amusement had halted when she saw Regina tearing up. The brunette explained that no one had ever taken the time to court her or take her out on a date, let alone go through the trouble of transforming a diner into a faux romantic restaurant. Emma then thanked every deity for Ruby, who apparently who how to capture women’s hearts as well. The blonde added a mental reminder to give Ruby, who was serving them that night in a tux, a gigantic tip. They sat down and the waitress brought out gourmet cheeseburgers, which was Regina’s new favorite item on the menu. She ordered it so often that Granny renamed it after her, calling it ‘the majestic cheeseburger’. 

Emma bit into her burger, licking a drop of ketchup from her thumb, “Was Henry a fussy kid?”

“As a baby, yes, he was. He cried so much,” Regina took a sip of her wine, “As a toddler, no. He was very intelligent and mature.”

“How were you as a kid? I’m constantly trying to imagine you.” Emma smiled lopsidedly. 

“I had to grow up quite fast,” Regina’s voice quivered a bit and Emma felt anger build in her belly. She unfortunately had the chance to meet Cora and the woman was something else. The combination of anger and ambition turned the woman into an absolute terror. 

“Is that why your list has a lot of things that a kid would do? Like a water balloon fight, eating a hot dog, drinking a slushie?” Regina nodded slowly.

“It’s things that I missed out on and that, because of me, Henry missed out on. I think it’s for him too. I want to make it up to him,” Emma reached for Regina’s hand, stroking her thumb over the top, “I was a good mother in the sense that I helped him with homework, I cooked him dinner, and I tried to keep him safe. But I failed in every other way. I didn’t teach him how to ride a bike, or swim, or even how to be a kid! I made him grow up too fast, just like my mother.”

“You’re nothing like her.” Emma growled, dropping her food onto the plate to give Regina her complete attention.

“Not now, no. But many years ago, I was, and in the Enchanted Forest, I was exactly what she molded me to be. I allowed her to manipulate me into… becoming her. The worst part was that even when she wasn’t around, when she was realms away, she still managed to control my life,” Regina interlaced their fingers while gazing into emerald eyes, “But I’m done living by her rules. I’m in love because now I know it’s strength, I’m wearing sweats because comfort isn’t weakness, and I’m eating a hotdog because I don’t need to stay thin for anyone.”

“Preach it, babe,” Emma smiled, “You know, I was hanging out with Henry last night while you cooked dinner and I noticed something.”

“What’s that, darling?” The brunette lifted a fry and munched on the end.

“He may have come from my womb but I feel like he’s a perfect combination of us both. He’s smart and well mannered, like you, but he’s also really sneaky and a total nerd, like me. He’s really our kid, Gina.”

The older woman stared at the blonde adoringly, “Yes, I suppose he is, isn’t he?”

Emma hummed, her mouth full of food. They spent the rest of the dinner eating and talking about the upcoming Six Flags trip, as Regina was still a bit weary of traveling outside of Storybrooke. Ruby arrived at some point to remove their empty plates and bring them an apple turnover, which the waitress thought was hilarious, to share. They ate the small pastry in companionable silence, the occasional hum of approval sounded from their throats when the sweet apple mixture hit their tongues. 

Emma swallowed her last piece before wiping her mouth with a swipe of her napkin and clearing her throat, “Ready for Pac Man victory?”

Regina smirked, licking her spoon thoroughly, “Mhmm, Henry will eat my dust.”

~_~_~

“Okay, babe, the time has come. You’ve faced fire-breathing dragons, slimy Dark One’s, terroristic mothers, creepy King’s, and a sexy savior but you’ve never faced these colorful ghosts. Their deadly and they’re coming for your yellow ass,” Emma inserted a coin into the machine at the arcade, “Do you know the rules and shit?”

“I did my research, thank you very much.” Regina scoffed, grasping the joystick tightly. Emma slipped another coin into the slot as a little boy approached them and tugged on Emma’s jacket. The blonde looked down and swooned when she noticed his big blue eyes. 

“Whatcha doin?” He sputtered, his pronunciations slightly off, making both women smile brightly. 

Emma bent down to his eye level, “Miss Mills is trying to beat our son’s high score on Pac Man.”

“Whoa! Henry’s high score is unachievable!” A teenager gaped from behind Regina. Emma noticed that the older boy resembled the younger boy and assumed they were related.

“If anyone can do it, it’s Regina.” She shrugged. The teen turned to a group of boys and waved them over.

“Guys, come here! Mayor Mills is trying to beat Henry’s high score!” The extremely hipster looking teens ran over to the machine excitedly, making Regina gawk at Emma.

The blonde just shrugged once again before putting another coin into the machine and pressing the play button on the front. Regina’s eyes widened as she watched the screen power on and bask the ever-growing group in a cornucopia of color. The famous music flowed from the speakers but Regina concentrated on choosing the correct modes on the game. The boys were chattering lightly, not enough to be distracting though. 

Regina sighed as she pressed start and everyone quieted down. The game started and Regina thrust the joystick to the left, gathering as much of the yellow dots as she could before the ghosts exited their box and began their chase. The boys whispered words of encouragement while Emma watched the screen intently. Even the man behind the prize counter was watching the game as it progressed. A small cheer erupted when Regina managed to collect all of the dots, and some ghost carcasses, without losing a life. The brunette jerkily navigated the character through the passages, managing to avoid the pink ghost by an inch. The boys would gasp, grunt, and cheer, spurring Regina on as she kept imagining her victory. 

“You’re halfway there, Regina!” Emma stated while the game put up a new screen after Regina collected the dots for a second time. The blonde humorously grabbed a piece of paper and patted at her forehead. Halfway through the third ‘board’, the blue ghost caught Regina in a corner, obliterating one life. 

“That’s okay, Miss Mills! You have two more lives and all you need is to complete two more boards!” One of the boys shouted excitedly and Emma couldn’t help but chuckle at the antics. The smallest boys had crawled into his brother’s arms to get a better view.

Regina blew out a breath and Emma wanted to laugh at the dramatics, “You got this, babe. Henry’s not going to know what hit him!”

The older women jerked the joystick, sending Pac Man to collect the remaining dots of the current board, doing so without losing a life. Emma turned and noticed that the crowd had grown with almost twenty teens and some mothers who were waiting on their younger children. Regina cleared her throat as the last board popped up. If she successfully completed it without losing her last two lives, she would have the top score. 

“You know, mothers shouldn’t be this enthusiastic about kicking their sons high score in the ass but I am. I really, really am.” Emma leaned against the purple wall, watching as Regina sent the Pac Man upward.

“That’s because our son is a bit of a brat when it comes to competition.” Regina stated offhandedly, her arm moving the joystick furiously.

“I wonder where he gets it from,” Emma muttered and in the few seconds it took Regina to glare, the orange ghost took another life, “Oh, shit.”

“One life left… and you only need to complete the board, Miss Mills.” A blonde boy in the front muttered as the board reset. 

“Yeah, Henry couldn’t get through this one,” A teen off to the side whispered, “You can do it.”

Regina heard a resounding hum of agreement and, before the game started up again, she threw a withering look at her fiancée, who had to hold in a giggle at the theatrics. Pac Man went south, in hopes of collecting the last rows of dots, when the red ghost appeared from the side, making Regina and the teen’s squeal, but the brunette jolted the joystick and narrowly missed demise. She had one row left and entered the turn when the blue ghost entered from behind and chased after Pac Man. Regina simply pressed forward, inches from victory. The boys leaned in, holding their breaths, as the orange ghost entered from the front. 

“Come on, you insipid collection of pixels! Get there first!” Regina grumbled, pressing the joystick forward. Everyone held his or her breath as Pac Man collided with the orange ghost and the yellow character withered and died. They waited and waited for the score to appear. The ‘game over’ sign bobbed a few times before the high score board appeared with Regina’s username sitting on top of Henry’s. The crowd erupted in cheers, even Emma started clapping manically, as Regina hopped up and down, throwing a fist into the air before turning to Emma and jumping up to wrap her legs around the blonde’s midsection. 

“I did it! I beat Henry’s high score! And I didn’t even have to cheat this time!”

“So you admit to cheating at Mario Karts?” Emma smirked.

“I said no such thing.”


	10. Number 15: Ride a Horse Again

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Emma whispered, her voice still loud in the quiet car. Henry leaned forward between the two front seats, over the center console, to place a small hand on his brunette mother’s shoulder.

“Yeah, mom, you don’t have to do this yet. You can wait until after our trip.” Regina’s eyes slipped shut, unable to continue staring at the stables. 

“I need to do this in order to truly break the hold my mother had on me. She’s the true reason I have such a hard time looking at it,” Regina opened her eyes once more, “Daniel would want me to go in. He would want me to ride again.”

Emma opened her door and heard Henry do the same. The rounded the vehicle and watched as Regina cautiously rose from her seat and stood stiff, watching the wooden building with a swirl of a emotions. The blonde turned her face, never taking her gaze away from her fiancée, and whispered to Henry, “Kid, go away by the arena, okay? We’ll be right there.”

Henry caught on immediately, knowing his brunette mother was having a difficult time and that Emma wanted to be there to pick up the pieces without worrying about traumatizing him, so he threw Regina a supportive smile before jogging to the wooden fence and climbing to sit on it’s flat top. Emma stepped into Regina’s personal space.

“You ready?” The brunette blew out a breath before nodding, taking small steps towards the stables with Emma following closely behind. She wanted Regina to have some semblance of space as they entered the wooden structure, the neighing of horses reverberating off of the walls. 

Regina inhaled shakily, her lips quivering as she stared at one of the empty stalls, before whispering, “When you were gone, Whale brought him back to life. He wasn’t the man I knew, and loved, though and I was forced… to end his life once more.”

Emma did not need clarification. She knew exactly what the brunette was talking about and even though Charming had mentioned the incident, the blonde felt tears gather in the corner of her eyes.

“Before his death, the stables were a beacon for me, a place where I could be myself. I suppose my love for horses and riding contributed to my crush on the stable boy, that sweet boy. It was my haven… until it became my nightmare. After he passed, I rode horses as the Evil Queen but I never entered the stables. I had one of my servants do it for me. Then, when I arrived in Storybrooke, I found that Rumple had included this stable from our home into the curse.”

Emma felt dread crawl up her windpipe, “Why this one?”

“This… is where my mother took his life, my childhood stable,” Emma saw her shoulders bounce and took a step toward her love as Regina point at the dirt floor to the left, “Right there, that’s the exact spot where she did it, where I kissed him over and over, begging every and any fairy or Fate to bring him back to me. Right there, Emma, that’s where I became the Evil Queen.”

Emma eye’s burned painfully but she bit her tongue, hoping the pain would overshadow the sadness, “And here you are, my love, facing those memories willingly and truly releasing the hold that Cora had on you.”

“She will not keep me from riding, not anymore. Daniel would want me to ride again. He’s smiling down right now. I can feel it.” Her voice was so shy, so uncharacteristic of the fiery brunette, that Emma closed the space between them. She was right. It felt like a higher being was watching over them happily, encouraging them forward. 

“He may not be breathing but he’ll always be here,” Emma pressed her palm against Regina’s chest before pulling her hand to pat her own chest, “And he’ll always live inside of me too because he pushes me to love you the way you deserve.”

Regina smiled, her lips stretching genuinely as a few tears streaked her cheek, “Thank you, darling.”

“Come on, Gina,” She tucked a rogue hair behind Regina’s ear, “Let’s get you back in that saddle.”

The brunette chuckled as she opened one of the stalls, revealing a dark brown Arabian that bobbed its head as Regina approached with her hand cupped, “Hello, there. Emma, check the stall door. Does it have a name?”

The blonde tilted her head and chuckled, “Well, damn, his name is Royal.”

“Fitting.” Regina cooed as the horse allowed her to scratch his jowls. The brunette spent a while longer allowing the horse to become accustomed to her touch and smell before setting up the gear and leading the imposing horse through the stables and into the arena, where Henry cheered when he saw their entry. She led the horse to the center before peering at her lover.

“Give me a boost, will you?” She asked and Emma quickly strode over to her, bending to offer her cupped hands as a stepping stool. She threw her leg over the saddle, her muscle memory carrying all of her actions. It felt as if she never stopped as she clicked her tongue and the horse moved forward, their motions completely in sync. Emma jogged to where Henry was sitting on the fence and leaned against the wooden post next to him. They watched as the brunette and the horse became one, their movements graceful, elegant, and resembling the manners of a carefree woman. The smile was genuine, Regina’s giggles of contentment floating by them as they continued striding across the arena. Henry eyes shut slowly, allowing his ear to listen to the jovial laughter surrounding the area. He didn’t need to see her.

He wanted to experience her. He wanted to listen to the sounds of the gallops and chuckles blending harmoniously. He wanted to smell Emma’s perfume meld with the scent of cleaned stalls and brushed mammals. He wanted to be there in every way. 

Emma, on the other hand, couldn’t take her eyes off of the woman. Her hands were resting on her belly, excitement tingling in her extremities, as she forced her eyes to stay unblinking, not wanting to miss a moment. Regina bolted through the arena, occasionally throwing her family a small smile. The blonde savored those moments, trying to tattoo those smiles into her brain so that she could never forget such a light, jovial expression on Regina’s usually scrunched face.

“She’s always been so magnificent at this.” Emma snapped her eyes to gaze behind Henry, seeing her mother standing there, staring at Regina in awe. Snow had always admired her former stepmothers talent in riding. She used to watch, for hours, from her balcony at the palace as Regina rode around the surrounding forest. She always strived to reach her level of excellence. 

“She’s awesome.” Henry whispered, opening his eyes at last. Emma nodded in agreement as Regina guided the horse to hop over an obstacle with precision and finesse.

“Is she excited about tomorrow?” Snow shuffled to rest her arms on the wooden post where Henry was sitting calmly. 

“Oh, yeah,” Emma chuckled, “She’s been packing and gathering intel on the Internet about Six Flags and all of it’s attractions.” 

“Oh, me too!” Snow whispered back excitedly. It seemed that they didn’t want to rupture the serene atmosphere or overpower the gentle sounds of Regina and Royal, “It’s going to be so much fun!”

Emma snorted, “It’s going to be a disaster. An awesome disaster but still…”

“Oh hush! It’s the first time we’re going to vacation together as a unit, as a family!” Snow smiled so brightly that Emma felt her lips tilt upward automatically.

“Yeah, we’re a dysfunctional yet wonderful family, huh?”

“Well, duh.” Henry answered, his eyes falling closed once more to take in the joyous moment. Ever since Emma and Snow returned from the Enchanted Forest and Regina was diagnosed with the broken heart, all he had wished for was coming true. He had the family he always dreamed of and a trip to Six Flags was like an epiphany because, not only did they have the next two weeks to enjoy life and leisure, they had a life time to experience each other, love one another unconditionally. 

It was just the beginning.


	11. Number 11: Drink a Slushie

A honk sounded from the mansion driveway and Emma’s eyes rolled as she heard her mother hollering from Grumpy’s Ford Transit. The man had graciously allowed them to use his van as long as Regina let him use the Mercedes. It was safe to say that the Evil Queen made cameo that day when Grumpy joked about street racing with it. After everything had calmed down, Regina forced grumpy to sign a contract that said if the Mercedes was damaged in any shape, way, or form, he would be a dead man. The poor dwarf scowled but quickly signed his life away before exchanging keys with them. Snow and Charming took the van and had it cleaned and checked by Tillman and getting the thumbs up for travel. Now, her mother and father were sitting in the vehicle, way too chipper for four in the morning, with their arms waving out the windows as they beeped one final time. 

Snow popped her head out the window and bellowed excitedly, “Come on, gang, we have places to go and people to see!”

Regina chuckled as she climbed down the stairs with a travel bag hanging off her shoulder, “She won’t live to see another day if she continues to screech in this neighborhood. I still have lived down the engagement debacle with George.”

“Babe, if you she doesn’t stop, I’ll throttle her.” Henry raced past his mothers enthusiastically, with his comic books, DS, and other trinkets hidden away in his bag. Emma groaned as she stared at the three suitcases waiting in the foyer.

“Aw, is my little Emma cranky?” Regina teased, her voice resembling those who speak to their babies with a high-pitched coo. 

“Can it, my love.” Emma drawled back sarcastically but threw Regina a grateful smile when she lifted one of the suitcases and started rolling it through the front door. Another honk sounded from the driveway but a window slamming open next door accompanied this one.

“I swear I will hurt you if you don’t shut the hell up!” The muffled voice of King George bellowed from outside and Emma chuckled when she heard several doors whipping open and hums of agreement, “Can you do that, Lady Chatterbox?” 

“I’m so sorry! I’m just excited!” Snow yelled back, her voice frightened, and Emma realized why when she exited the house to find a mass of neighbors crowding the van.

“Well stop being so excited on Mifflin!” George answered, whipping his sleeping mask off of his balding head. Regina rounded the vehicle and entered George’s personal space.

“Now you listen to me, you anal retentive fruitcake! She’s happy, in a good mood, and excited, unlike you and your gaggle of mindless, shriveled up cronies!” Regina turned to glare at the other neighbors on the lawn, watching them shrink back, “Leave Snow alone or so help me George, I’ll strap you into this vehicle and make you sing along to ‘We Are Family’ by Sister Sledge until we reach New Jersey and I can drown you in the lazy river at Hurricane Harbor!”

The former king jumped back, his eyes wide with terror, before turning to the neighbors, “Let’s go people, nothing to see here.”

“Yeah, you do that.” Regina taunted as he and the rest of the neighbors sauntered back to their homes, occasionally throwing a disturbed glance back at the brunette’s by the van. Emma let out a bark of laughter as she finally moved to put the luggage into the trunk. 

“Regina… that was beautiful,” Snow awed, her eyes glistening, “And I really did put ‘We Are Family’ on our road trip mix tape! We are so in sync!”

The older brunette rolled her eyes as she turned away from Snow, hauling the suitcase to the trunk and catching Emma’s wide grin. She shrugged as she thrust the item into the back before patting the blonde’s shoulder and whispering conspiratorially, “Ready for the most agonizing eight hours of your life?”

Emma opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the opening music of ‘We Are Family’. She groaned, “No.”

“Unfortunately, darling, yes.” Regina interlaced their fingers and dragged a reluctant Emma along with her, settling them next to Henry in the second row of seats. Snow turned to them as she increased the volume of the song.

“Let’s roll!” Snow smacked her sunglasses down from her head onto the bridge of her nose before belting out, “We are family! I’ve got all my sisters with me! Sing it with Regina!”

“Absolutely not.”

The car ride was packed with classic hits that only Snow would belt out while the others just mouthed the words, bags upon bags of chips, and several bathroom breaks. And yes, Regina might have threatened to snap Snow’s neck when she turned in the bathroom line and sobbed when ‘My Heart Will Go On’ flowed through the speakers of the convenience store. And yes, she almost maimed Charming when he spent twenty minutes figuring out how to open the lid over the gas. And hell yes, she almost strangled Emma when she sat in the station’s only bathroom and texted Ruby because she knew that Regina was close to peeing on herself. The only one she wasn’t envisioning a specific torture for was Henry, who was now her son, not theirs. And all of that had occurred during their first bathroom break in Massachusetts. 

~_~_~

Regina breathed in and out for several minutes as Charming started up the car, hoping to expel her annoyance. They were going to be trapped in a moving vehicle for at least four more hours and the former Evil Queen did not want to appear on the news or go to prison for triple homicide. Plus, Henry would never speak to her again. So, no murder meant relax, breathing in and out, just listening to the retched music that Snow had compiled. She felt the tension release from her body as she sighed. She forcefully grabbed Emma’s head and shoved it against her own shoulder so that she could use the blonde locks as a makeshift pillow. When Emma protested, Regina snarled that because of her she almost peed on her favorite jeans and the blonde quickly agreed to her status as a pillow. 

The second bathroom break was in northern New Jersey, a gas station just off I-95. This time, Snow wobbled to the restroom, whispering about a loaded bladder, and luckily finding no line. Henry was picking out chocolates and other snack, believing that Regina wasn’t watching, and he paid for them with money he had saved up before running to the car to hide his new private stash. Charming ran to the men’s restroom, his face very telling as to what was going to occur in that room and Regina grimaced. Finally, Snow sighed as she swung open the door and held it for Regina, who was about to step inside when she was ambushed her blonde fiancée. Emma tried to weasel her way into the bathroom but Regina threw her arm over the threshold, holding them both in place as they struggled for dominance. The struggle continued for several moments before the brunette’s bladder called out for an emergency landing and Regina gave a swift thunk of her elbow into Emma’s gut, which sent the blonde hurling into the back wall. Regina quickly made her getaway and locked herself in the bathroom.

“This isn’t over!” She heard Emma’s muffled threat and chuckled.

“Look around, babe,” Regina used the pet name sarcastically, “I’m in here and you’re out there.”

“I could pick this lock, you know?” Regina began unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans.

“And I could murder you, you know?” That ended the argument as she heard Emma chuckled breathlessly, saying something about how she doesn’t play fair. Once she was done, she stood by the door, just checking emails and playing some classic game Henry had installed on her phone called Frogger. It was entertaining enough, especially coupled with Emma begging to use the restroom. She finally granted the woman mercy and sauntered out of the bathroom, giving Emma a knowingly smirk before making her way to the car. Yeah, revenge was still sweet. 

They resettled into the van, clicking their seatbelts while Snow turned the insufferable CD player back on. Henry just shrugged as he peeled out a bag of M&M’s and offered Regina a handful, which she readily accepted. She needed something to help her survive the few hours left in the van and some do say that chocolate is a drug. Snow suddenly squealed and turned the volume up when a sappy country song came on. Oh, what she wouldn’t give for another curse.

~_~_~

“We’re going to a waterpark!” Henry jumped on the hotel bed excitedly as Emma packed a small bag with sunscreen, money, sunglasses, and three medium towels. The bag looked ready to burst. 

“I’m guessing you’re excited, kid?” Emma chuckled, throwing the bag over her shoulders before placing the sunglasses on the top of her head.

“Yeah! This room is so cool and I bet the water park is really cool too!” The hotel they had rented was top notch and Regina had gone all out. The front door led to a common area where you would choose between four doors and each door was a separate suite. So, you had privacy but were still together and could walk a few feet to see one another. Henry had his own room with a television, air conditioning, and a cabinet full of candy and chocolate. Emma had a sneaking suspicion that the last one had been Regina’s way of buttering up her son so that they could have their own room. 

Regina stepped out of the private bathroom wearing a sleeveless summer dress that covered her, what Emma hoped, sexy bikini. The blonde held in a chuckle when she saw that the dress had apples on it. 

“Hello! Hello!” Snow greeted through the door, adding a knock to punctuate each syllable. Henry jumped off the bed and ran to answer the door. Snow and Charming looked ridiculous and Regina actually let out a bark of laughter at their discombobulated swimwear and shoes. Charming had on pink, flowery board shorts that were way too tight and rainbow swim shirt with brown sandals. Snow also had on a rainbow swim shirt but orange board shorts and pink sandals accompanied it. 

“What the hell are you wearing?” Emma snorted, covering her mouth. Snow and Charming pointed at their shirts and smiled goofily.

“It’s okay to be gay!” They bellowed together cheerily before twisting to show that exact phrase imprinted on the back of the rainbow shirt. Regina laughed even harder as Emma groaned.

“Please no!” Henry just snickered, nibbling on a piece of Hershey. 

“Emma, we support the homo’s!” The blonde let out a drawn out groan, her eyes closing slowly. 

“Yeah, like you and Regina!” Charming smiled brightly and Emma let out another long groan, this time bending her knees and propping her hands on them. 

“We’re begging you to take those off.” Emma stated calmly, her eyes trained on the hotel carpet.

“Not we, just you,” Regina received a glare from her fiancée, “What? I think it’s cute.”

“No, you don’t. You just want to see me suffer.” Snow and Charming looked between the two, not even pretending that they were going to change.

“Well, yes, that too.” Snow clapped and ushered them all in the common area while Regina shut and locked the suite door. Charming opened and held the front door and high-fived his wife and grandson while Regina placed a sweet peck on Emma’s pouting lips.

“This is so embarrassing.” Emma gazed at her father’s shirt once more.

“They’re making up for missing the teen years,” Regina interlaced their fingers, “Come on, my homo, and let’s go.”

The park was packed to the brim with people and it took at least half an hour just to get the tickets and enter the water park. Henry demanded rides and Charming ran off with his grandson while the women searched for the lazy river. It was humid, making their clothes stick their bodies unpleasantly so the constant relief that the moving stream provided was perfect and let the boys be insane and climb all of the stairs for a half a minute of fun. As they walked past a few stalls, Emma noticed that one of the establishments was selling Slushie’s.

“Hey, Regina! Look!” Both brunette’s turned, exasperated that Emma was interrupting their walk again, “Slushie!”

“Slushie?” Snow questioned as they strolled back to the blonde.

“It’s on Regina’s bucket list,” Emma gazed at the older brunette, “Let’s do it.”

“Alright, what flavors are there?” The trio walked up to the vendor and peered at the labeled flavors on the large menu above their heads. 

“I’ll take the Coke flavored one.” Emma told the man before turning to the other two expectantly. Snow spoke up first.

“I’ll take cherry.” Snow smiled, reaching into her purse to pull out money when Regina shooed her hands away.

“It’s on me,” The brunette furrowed her brow adorably as she gazed at the menu again, “I’ll have the blue raspberry.”

The man handed them their concoctions, “That’ll be fifteen bucks.”

Regina quirked a brow at the price but Emma explained that parks always bumped up the prices on everything in order to make more so she just handed over a twenty and waited for the change. Snow took a dainty sip as the vendor gave the appropriate change back and moaned.

“This is delicious.” Emma hummed in agreement, licking her straw of excess liquid. Regina threw the change into her lover’s bag unceremoniously before playing with the straw and bringing it to her lips. She took a small amount in her mouth and hummed at the flavor and texture.

“It is very good.” Regina whispered hurriedly before slurping more from her cup. Emma nodded but her eyes widened as she watched her mother sip too rapidly. She cringed when she saw her mother grimace and cradle her forehead.

“Ow!” Snow whined, making Regina’s eyes widen as she placed a hand on the younger brunette’s back. 

“What’s wrong with her?” Regina turned to peer at Emma suspiciously and the blonde lifted her hands in surrender.

“It’s called a brain freeze, happens when you drink too fast.” 

Snow blew out a breath, finally feeling relief, “I’m okay. I’ll slow down.”

“Yeah. Let’s go to the lazy river.” They continued strolling toward the attraction as they drank, occasionally receiving pictures from Charming, who was making used of the waterproof iPhone case. They saw the stream of floating people from the corner of their eyes and sighed with relief when they realized they had finally found the lazy river. The heat was becoming unbearable so Snow immediately grabbed a ring and waited by the entry point for Emma and Regina, who were taking off their swim suit covers. Emma stared appreciatively at Regina’s barely covered ass as she bent over to rub some sunscreen on her legs. Snow cleared her throat and Emma snapped her gaze away from her fiancée’s assets. She smiled shyly as she walked over to her mother and grabbed a double ring so that she could ride the same one as Regina. 

“My little homo.” Snow sniffled, hugging Emma tightly to her, and the blonde sighed. Regina walked over and smirked as she grabbed Emma’s hand and pulled the two apart.

“Let’s go, you two.” And they spent the rest of the afternoon riding the movement of the water. At one point, Snow fell asleep on her ring and snored for a few laps. Emma made sure to hold the ring by the handle so that Snow stayed with them. The day was perfect. It was playful, accepting, and all around fun. Emma smiled as she watched her mom snore with her mouth wide open and Regina inconspicuously take photos of the woman. If she went back in time and told teen Emma Swan that she would end up with loving parents, a crazy cool kid, and a beautiful fiancée, the girl would’ve decker her and called the loony bin. But it was her reality now and she couldn’t be more grateful.


	12. Numbers 9, 10, & 12: Six Flags & Hotdog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter includes a character mentioned in Spiral. If you want more clarity, read chapter 6 of Spiral. You don’t have to, as I will try to describe the situation a bit.

Regina rested her head on Emma’s chest, the constant rhythm against the skin calming her. The blonde lifted a hand and stroked Regina’s hair, playing with the ends.

“Today was fun.” Emma whispered. After hours at the waterpark, Charming called and informed the ladies that Henry and him had ridden everything twice so the women exited the lazy river after shaking Snow awake. They walked around the gift store cluster and brought items for themselves and others back home. They returned to the hotel exhausted. When they reached their suite and Snow removed her swim shirt, they cringed at the flaming skin on the younger brunette’s back. Luckily for everyone, the burn was just a slight discoloration. They all went their separate ways after that, though Regina and Emma had to check on Henry several times because he was being too raucous. He finally fell asleep and the two relaxed on their king sized bed.

“Hmm, yes it was,” Regina purred, “You know what could make it even better?”

Emma chuckled quietly, her hand traversing Regina’s back until it reached her ass and squeezed, “The walls are thin though, babe, and no one can stop you from expressing yourself. We can’t sound proof the room cause no magic.”

Regina sighed, knowing that the blonde was right. She scooted up so that their bodies were aligned from head to toe and Emma turned on her side, facing the brunette. They moved in closer, their limbs tangling and their perfumes mingling. 

“So, tomorrow…” Emma smirked.

“Six Flags.” Regina kissed the smirk off of Emma’s lips, running her fingers over them to remove excess moisture. 

“It’ll be three items ticked off tomorrow. Go to Six Flags, eat a hotdog, and ride Kingda Ka,” Emma smiled goofily when her lover’s eyes widened, “Are you scared?”

Regina scoffed, “No! Are… you going to ride with me?”

“Of course, baby,” Emma kissed her forehead, “We’ll die together.”

The brunette smacked her bicep playfully, the smile on her face giving away her amusement. They shifted to find a more comfortable position before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

~_~_~

The park had changed dramatically since Emma’s stay decades ago. The rides were different, the workers were different, and even the layout was different. It left her with a pang of regret in her gut. She should’ve return a long time before but she couldn’t allow that nostalgia to bring her down. She was at the park with her family, watching her parents look around in wide-eyed wonder and Henry jump with excitement. Regina interlaced their fingers, throwing her a comforting smile; because of course her fiancée knew how she was feeling and of course she understood. It was what made them perfect for one another. 

“It’s not the same, is it?” She whispered and Emma shook her head, her smile thin and tight, “I’m sorry, darling.”

“What’re you sorry for? Parks change all the time. They need to keep themselves modern and new. I should’ve known.” Regina squeezed their hands before reaching her free hand to wrap an arm around Henry’s shoulders. Snow and Charming were in front of them, glancing at all of the attractions and stores as they walked.

Charming looked back at the trio, “What’re we doing first?” 

“Well, didn’t Regina want to try a hotdog?” Snow asked excitedly, pointing to a hotdog vendor a few paces away. 

“No!” Emma shrieked, “Trust me when I say that you don’t want to eat a hotdog before riding on Kingda Ka or any ride for that matter.”

“So we ride first?” Snow opened her map and darted her eyes around until she found Kingda Ka before glancing at her surroundings, “It’s to the left, in the Golden Kingdom.”

The grouped veered off the main path and started the trek to the infamous ride known for being the fastest and tallest ride in North America. The more they walked, the more Emma noticed Regina’s hand tighten on hers. She rubbed her thumb over the back of the hand but kept her mouth shut. She knew her lover was scared but there was no way she was going to help her back out, not when she knew that Regina wanted to face this fear. The ride was visible from all areas of the park but the closer you got, the more imposing it was. Snow gasped when they reached the line for it and turned, wide-eyed, to her family.

“Henry’s not going on that!” She shrieked, her hand grappling at her grandson’s tank top. Emma rolled her eyes.

“First of all, he’s not tall enough. Second of all, we’re shaking in our boots and we’re… old,” Emma turned to Charming, “How about you, Pops? Are you taking on the Ka with us?”

Charming looked up, his mouth dropping open as he took in the humongous green attraction. He straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat, “Let’s do this.”

“Charming, why would you do this willingly?” Regina whispered as the three made their way to the back of the line, which was thankfully short. It didn’t give them time to back out. 

“I need to face my own fears. I’m afraid of heights, had a real tough time on the palace balconies.” He whispered back, not wanting his daughter to hear about his weakness. The brunette grabbed his hand, squeezing to show unity. They were both terrified and it made Regina feel a bit better, like she wasn’t alone. Emma had such a brave face on and it was hard to relate to the calm panic when her own was clearly showing on her face. The line began moving forward and Regina tightened her hold on both Emma and Charming. They were ushered into the seats and strapped in, with Emma and Regina next to one another and Charming behind them with a stranger. 

“Oh lord, I should’ve peed before coming on here.” Regina whispered hurriedly, making Emma chuckle loudly. The heard the pistons release and they moved forward a few feet before it paused, the mechanics of the ride setting up for launch. 

“I love you, David! I always will but I plan to move on when you die from this!” They heard Snow bellow from the side and when they looked, she was waving and Henry was cackling like a little shit. Emma waved back while Regina and Charming grimaced in an attempt to smile. The ride jerked forward, making everyone scream, and the car went flying at full-speed up the slope. Regina closed her eyes, letting out a whine, while Emma screamed loudly, as if being hacked to death. They could hear Charming begging for it to stop, his voice extremely high pitched. The car began its decent and twirled, making them all jerk in their seats uncomfortably. 

“Shit!” Emma screeched, her nails digging into the padding on the seat. Regina actually let out a chuckle as the ride reached the bottom of the curve and set them horizontal once more. Charming whimpered from behind them and Emma let out a shuddering breath as the car met the starting platform again. The protective bar lifted and Emma practically climbed over her lover to get out. Charming ran past them and out the exit. 

“Charming! Are you okay?” Snow ran after him. Her husband bent over a trashcan and vomited, his back lurching as Snow clung to his back. Regina and Emma walked shakily over to them and the older brunette placed a soothing hand on her future father-in-law’s back. Emma watched on, her own stomach unsettled. 

“He okay?” An extremely accented male voice asked from behind the group and Emma turned to tell the person to mind his own business but froze when she saw who it was.

“Manny?” Emma’s eyes widened and a smile burst onto her lips. This man had changed her childhood and how she perceived people. When she lived in the park, Manny had been a beacon of light, of kindness. He tried to help her. Manny looked older, a lot older. His face was littered with wrinkles and his black hair had greyed on the sides. He was still very thin though. 

“Yes?” He asked cautiously, his accent very thick but the blonde noticed that he must have picked up some English over the years because he was never able to communicate with her or understand her. They used to speak through gestures and body language. Regina watched with interest, remembering vividly the conversation they had had at the campsite man months before. She knew that this man had made an impact on Emma and hoped that Manny had kept his kindness, that he hadn’t been hardened by the discrimination that came from being an immigrant who did not speak the language. 

“Manny, it’s me. It’s Emma,” The blonde moved toward him and watched as he took in her features. She took out her iPhone and opened a translation app. She pressed the microphone and spoke into it, “I lived here many years ago. You helped me eat. My name is Emma.”

The phone beeped and the voice played back, “Yo vivía aquí hace muchos años atrás. Me ayudaste a comer. Me llamo Emma.”

Manny’s face brightened with recognition and he smiled at her, his eyes twinkling, “Emma!”

Emma spoke into the phone again, “I’ve been wanting to see you again! I have a great life now and I want to thank you for everything you did for me.”

He looked to the phone, “Querido volver a verte! Tengo una gran vida ahora y quiero darle las gracias por todo lo que hiciste por mí.”

His smile widened further before he leaned in and hugged her tightly. Snow continued to rub Charming’s bicep, who was still recovering. Regina and Henry walked forward to join Emma. The blonde pulled back and pointed to the brunette and their son, “My family.”

He understood and waved at the two by her side, “Family good. I, uh, proud, Emma.”

The blonde felt her eyes burn, “Thank you. Bye, Manny.”

He nodded gratefully before turning to sweep up some of the debris left by Kingda Ka’s entrance. Regina cradled her jaw and placed a sweet kiss on her lips, “I’m so happy that you got to see him again.”

“Me too,” She whispered, swiping at her eyes with the strap of her tank top. She cleared her throat, “Okay, come one, let’s get a hotdog in ya.”

“Oh my God, why?” Charming mumbled as he slumped against Snow’s chest, his back against the trashcan. Regina patted his arm before walking toward the hotdog stand with Henry and Emma following close behind. They reached the colorful stand and stood in line behind two other families.

“So, what do you like on a hotdog?” Regina questioned, staring at the menu that listed condiments and ingredients.

“I like the simplistic approach. Just ketchup.” Emma’s stomach felt settled after the ride and her mouth began watering at the sight of the hotdogs that the vendor placed in the hands of the man in front of her. 

“Alright, I’ll try it your way. Anyway, you known I’ve never been showy,” Emma glanced at her knowingly, receiving a smirk in response, “What about you, Henry?”

“I’ll have the same as you guys.” Henry grabbed Regina’s hand and leaned into her side. Their relationship was leaps and bounds above what they had two years before. It was amazing to witness and Emma couldn’t help but feel grateful that she had had a hand in bringing them together again.

“I’ll have one with mustard.” Charming appeared next to his daughter and Emma laughed.

“You just upchucked and you’re gonna have a hotdog?” 

“Well now my stomach’s empty. I need nourishment.” The man smiled, making the ladies in front of them swoon until Snow appeared a glared at them furiously. 

“And get me one with mustard, too.” The younger brunette interlaced her fingers with her husband, continuing to glare holes into the bimbo’s in front until they finally walked away with their tails between their legs. They stepped forward and leaned on the counter.

“Okay, so, three with ketchup and two with mustard. Oh, and five waters.” Emma whipped out her wallet as the vendor passed out each hotdog as he went along. She gave him exact change after he placed the waters on the counter, allowing them all to pick up their own. The family unit sat at an empty table under a tree, garnering the shade and relief from the smoldering sun.

“Of all the people I expected to get sick, you were the last one, grandpa.” Henry said before munching on his hotdog, managing to smear ketchup on his nose and cheek. Regina grabbed a napkin and wiped it off as Charming scoffed.

“I didn’t get sick because of the ride! It was probably that sushi we had for dinner last night.”

“Uh huh, who you trying to fool?” Emma smirked, talking with her mouth full. Charming balled up his napkin and threw it at his daughter, hitting her square between the eyes. They ate while teasing one another, telling stories, and planning out the rest of the day. Charming proclaimed that rollercoasters bored him and that he refused to waste any more of his time on them, which made every giggle. Henry wanted to ride and even his mothers agreed to join him on the few that he could ride. Snow said she would play it by ear.

They walked around the park from left to right, riding at least a dozen more rides before switching over to games at the boardwalk section. Henry beat out a bunch of adults and won a gigantic minion plush toy, which Snow volunteered to carry around. Emma even won a stuffed heart that she gave to Regina, cheekily asking for a kiss as a reward. Charming lost ever time he played and Snow had to comfort him by saying over and over that he was a macho prince with a crown. 

The rest of the rides were nothing compared to the first but they struck fear in Henry, who thought Rolling Thunder was going to be the end of him. Snow and Charming watched from the sidelines, holding onto plush toys, bags, and souvenirs. 

When they arrived at the hotel, they were beat. Their feet hurt, their eyes were heavy, and they had headaches so with a finally goodbye, they went their separate ways. Henry and Charming actually snored loud enough that Regina and Emma heard them through the wall. Snow was watching some sort of soap opera, seemingly unable to sleep no matter how tired her body felt. Regina and Emma were having the same issue. They were sitting up in the bed, their legs entwined, as they watched reruns of The Ellen Degeneres Show. 

“So, Niagara Falls is next huh?” Emma asked lightly, her voice ragged from screaming on all of the rides.

“To the Falls we go, my darling.”


	13. Number 17: See Niagara Falls

“Snow, please! Just put on the radio. I can’t deal with your mix tape any longer!” Regina bellowed from the backseat, leaning forward to nudge Snow’s shoulder. They had left the hotel early that morning in order to arrive at Niagara Falls by eight in the morning that same day. They had decided not to stay over at the falls and to head back to Storybrooke after a few hours of sightseeing. 

Snow violently powered off the sound system and turned in her seat to stare at the older brunette and her daughter, “If you don’t want to listen to my mix tape, which is classic, we can talk. I have some questions!” 

“Actually,” Emma smiled awkwardly, her arm around Regina tightly in warning, “turn the mix tape back on.”

Snow shook her head vehemently, “No! I’ve been told the basics but I want to know more about your relationship and how it started and why it started.”

Regina’s eyes narrowed, unsure how to deal with the woman, her future mother-in-law. They had had a bumpy road and Snow had a negative reaction to the proposal. Even though they had worked that out, it still tickled the back of her mind whenever she caught the younger brunette glaring at the couple’s interlaced fingers, turning away when they kissed, or zoning out when they proclaimed their love. It was disconcerting to say the least, not only because she had no idea how to broach the topic but also because she was afraid that the issue would be irrevocable, that her past had truly ruined any and all trust Snow had in her. Henry let out a snore from beside her but she didn’t blink her gaze away from Snow’s piercing one. 

She clicked her tongue, feeling Emma’s nervous eye’s flickering over her, “Alright, ask away.”

“Regina, that’s okay. Snow, just put the tape back on. I’ll even sing ‘Uptown Funk’ with you.” Charming interjected, his eyes never leaving the road but his knuckles whitening. He had come to like the older brunette and had no qualms about the relationship with his daughter. He thought about it long and hard when he first heard and it made sense. Emma pushed Regina out of the wraith’s way and basically sacrificed herself for the other woman’s safety. Then, Regina absorbed a death curse and saved his family from utter destruction. He told Snow a million times over the coarse of their relationship that love was sacrifice and that’s what Regina and Emma were all about, putting one another and Henry above themselves. He wasn’t compelled to question Regina’s motives and he didn’t want Snow making a stink. Emma was happy; happier than he had ever saw her. He didn’t want to scare Regina away. 

He felt a small hand on his shoulder and looked into the rearview mirror, catching the older brunette’s grateful gaze, “It’s alright, Charming. She can ask whatever’s on her mind. I want to get over this stage of glares and avoidance that we’ve found ourselves stuck in. I want you to understand that I love Emma more than anything, more than… more than Daniel.”

Snow gasped, her eyes watering slightly at the man’s name, “Really?”

Emma leaned closer, pressing her side into Regina’s as the woman answered honestly, “I loved Daniel so much that I cast a curse to avenge his name, or so I thought at the time. It wasn’t really about him though. I thought he was my last chance, that no one would ever love me for me. But Emma does and when I was sick, she was my hope, my drive to keep moving. When I lost all faith, she fought the darkness. I never, in a million years, believed that I could love so fiercely again. But I do, Snow. And I just want to make her and Henry happy for as long as I live.”

“Maybe longer.” Emma whispered, nuzzling her nose into Regina’s hair. Snow smiled, a tear falling from her eyelashes as she nodded.

“Okay,” Snow wiped at her cheeks, “So, moving on. First kiss?”

“Well, we actually didn’t kiss until after we proclaimed our love at the campground, after talking to you. After talking to you at the diner, we went home and she finally kissed me. Took her long enough.”

Emma smiled cheekily, her eyes sparkling as she leaned in to peck Regina on the lips. The older brunette smiled when she saw Snow watching them adoringly. Regina felt her anxiety melt away. Emma wiped the excess moisture from her lover’s lips, her eyes never leaving the chocolate one’s she adored so much. 

“What about the proposal?” Charming asked as he switched lanes. The couples flushed a bit. That story had to be censored majorly. She wasn’t about to tell them that the proposal occurred after having sex on the beach where their new home sat. 

Emma spoke up, “Gina had watching the sunrise on her list so I took her to the beach one morning to complete that item. I proposed as the sun rose.”

“I wasn’t expecting it but when she asked, I knew right away.” 

“That is so romantic!” Snow pouted before swiveling to smack Charming’s bicep, which made the man jump and the car swerve dangerously.

“Hey!” 

“Why couldn’t you make our proposal more romantic?” Snow smacked him again.

“We were being chased into the fiery pits of hell by the Evil Queen! I didn’t exactly have time to think that much about it!”

“My bad.” Regina added sassily, her eyebrow curving. Emma let out a snort of laughter, her shoulders heaving as Snow glared at her husband. The couple continued to bicker and Regina sighed with relief. If they argued with one another, the spotlight was off of them. 

~_~_~

Niagara Falls was just as beautiful as everyone claimed, though the New York side was a bit less spectacular than the Canadian side. They couldn’t cross of course because the fairytale characters didn’t exactly have a passport, which was a huge over sight on Rumple and Regina’s part. They leaned on the railings, watching the water fall gracefully, with the sound echoing in their eardrums. Henry gaped as Snow snapped hundreds of photos, catching her family off guard in an attempt to document the ‘action shots’. 

“So, are we doing the boat ride? We would board in Prospect Point Park.” Charming peered at the brochure. 

“Well, how about it? Up for an adventure?” Emma smirked at her fiancée, mother, and son. The three looked to one another before nodding and following Charming towards the booth that sold the tickets to the boat ride. They waited in a long line for what felt like hours, waiting for their turn to hop on the boat. 

“This better be majestic and life changing. This line is atrocious.” The older brunette grumbled, adjusting her jacket before sighing dramatically. 

“I’ve heard that it’s amazing. The brochure makes it sound enticing.” Snow smiled at the older woman while she bounced on her heels. The boat arrived from it’s trip and the family mentally counted the people in front of them in an attempt to guess if they were on the next boat. 

“I think we’re on this one.” Emma grabbed Regina’s hand and wrapped an arm around Henrys shoulders. They shuffled forward and luckily made it onto the vessel, quickly wandering to the railing in order to get a better view. 

“If you told me when I was Queen that I would be engaged to Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter, I would’ve laughed until my gut burst. And if you had said that I would have a son, I would’ve cried at the impossibility. I can’t thank you all enough.” Regina watched as her family stared at her proudly, their eyes glistening. Of course Snow had to ruin it by charging forward and clinging to her like a koala. 

“Oh, it’s you!” She whispered into Regina’s ear. The rest of them raised their brows, confused by the younger woman’s words.

“Excuse me?” 

“The woman that saved me when I was a child. I thought she was gone but she isn’t. She was always right there waiting for a reason to live,” Snow rested her palm over the older brunette’s heart, “You’re her again. I couldn’t be happier, Regina.”

She blinked, trying to keep her emotions at bay, “Yes, well, thank you, Snow.” 

The younger woman threw her a knowing look before removing herself from their embrace and nuzzling back into Charming’s side. As they reached the water mist, everyone pulled on their ponchos and prepared to get wet. The mist hit them hard as the wind whipped. Charming got a stream of water down his poncho and squealed. Henry was snickering like a mad scientist, the little shit. Emma and Regina just watched in amusement. They took in the scene, their family, and thanked everyone and anyone that was involved in bringing them to where were. It was an image neither woman thought they would be a part of. 

“I love you.” Regina whispered into Emma’s yellow poncho. The blonde squeezed her hand.

“I love you too, babe, and I can’t wait to start our life together with the wedding and the adoption. I’m so excited for the future, our future.” 

“As am I.”


	14. Numbers 16 & 19: Dog & Water Balloon

“Look at that one!” Henry was bouncing in front of the large cage, the dog inside jumping from one side to the other in excitement. He went to stick his fingers inside but Regina quickly grabbed his wrist and pointed to the sign on the wall.

“Do not put fingers in cage.” She scolded lightly, though the smile on her face made Henry grin. After arriving in Storybrooke, they picked up the Mercedes and Regina made sure to triple check the exterior and interior, ready to murder Grumpy if anything was amiss. Then the family went back to their normal routines, with Emma and Charming going back to work while Snow, Regina, and Henry enjoyed the summer break. The younger brunette started feeling lonely at home and decided to visit often. Regina decided that they should bond and learn to be family once again so the older brunette asked for Snow’s help in growing a large garden in the backyard, leaving plenty of space for the pool and a pathway that would be paved once the contractors arrived. 

But, while waiting for the project to begin, they decided to get another list item done. So, they woke up early that Sunday and headed over to the local animal shelter. Emma grumbled the whole way there, complaining about not being able to sleep in, but when they got to the shelter, she woke up completely and started fawning over all of the animals. Currently, the blonde was cooing in front of a cage that housed a chocolate Labrador. 

“Mom, shouldn’t you be looking around?” Regina sniffed, taking a cursory glance around the room. She wanted a calm dog, one that wouldn’t make her want to rip her hair out. She liked larger dogs but not too large either. She strolled down the hall, peering into the cages, ignoring the whines, barks, and yelps from the dogs. She sighed as she watched them all rowdily howling at her. 

“Your such a bubba! Yes, you are!” Regina chuckled softly as Emma talked childishly to a bulldog. Regina glanced into the cage on the left and was surprised to see a small, skinny Beagle sitting there, staring at her with big brown eyes. She stepped closer and read the tag on the cage.

“Male, three years old, and already neutered.” The dog tilted his head, making Regina giggled at the cuteness. He looked like a traditional Beagle with his black, brown, and white color pattern. The top of his body was black and his underbelly was white. His tail was mostly black but a large portion of the tip was white. His face though was a beautiful combination of all of his natural colors. He just continued to stare at her as he sat calmly on the cement. 

“We rescued him from the river bank by the toll bridge. He was hurt bad. Seem like someone abused him then threw him away.” The young volunteer opened the dog’s cage and picked him up. The Beagle continued to be quiet, not even wiggling in the young girl’s arms. Regina instantly felt a kinship with the scrawny dog. They were both hurt by those that were supposed to love them and then thrown to the wayside.   
“What’s his name?” Regina stepped forward, running her finger over the dog’s head, watching as his big eyes closed.

The volunteer shrugged, “When we rescued him, he had a collar but it looked like the tags were ripped off. We haven’t given him a name yet.” 

“Is he up for adoption?” She heard Emma sidle up next to her as she watched the volunteer’s eyes brighten.

“You want him?” Regina nodded, “Even though he’s not a puppy and he’s skinny as hell?”

“Yes, he’s imperfectly perfect,” Emma whispered, her hand rubbing Regina’s bicep, “Henry! Come here!”

The boy slid in next to his mothers and smiled at the sleeping dog, “Is that ours?”

Regina outstretched her arms and the volunteer smiled widely as she shifted the dog into the older woman’s hands. Regina chuckled happily when the dog opened his eyes and stared at her expectantly. She caressed his back, his eyes slipping shut once more at the stimulation. Without looking, he licked her arm in appreciation and Regina’s smile got impossibly larger. Emma watched on joyously, loving the interaction between Regina and the small animal. Her lover needed something to keep her company when Henry went back to school and many say a dog is greater than a person. 

“We’ll take him.” Regina said, her attention never leaving the animal in her arms. 

Emma wheeled a cooler from the garage into the backyard, the dog following her with his tail wagging happily. She had to admit that he was super cute and quiet and calm. He was strange and they loved it, especially Regina, who was head over heels in love with him. He gained a bit of spirit after a day in the mansion, as if he realized that he had a new home. Fortunately, his spirit didn’t include chewing on shoes, nibbling on furniture, or scratching everything in sight. Emma placed the cooler in the middle of the yard and called to Regina and Henry, who were making lunch. 

“What is it, darling?” The brunette carried a tray to the small table by the back door. The dog went running to her and she lifted him into her arms, giving him a big kiss on the snout. 

“We need to name him.” The blonde walked over, kissed her fiancées cheek, and picked up a sandwich. She took a hefty bite while Regina continued scratching behind the dog’s ear. Regina watched him closely and admired his strength, his ability to recuperate from such a traumatic experience. 

“Valiant,” Regina whispered and grinned when the dog snapped his eyes to hers and barked, “He likes it!”

Emma chuckled, “So, Valiant it is. Hey, we can call him Val.” 

Regina nodded as she let Val down on the grass, watching as he went running around the enclosed backyard. The blonde popped the last piece of bread into her mouth.

“So, what’s this plan you’ve been chattering about since the shelter?” Regina reached for the cooler and popped open the lid to see multi-colored water balloons filled with water stacked on top of one another. 

“Water balloon fight,” Emma picked up a blue balloon and quirked a brow, “Henry’s coming out, right?”

Regina smirked mischievously, “Henry, come out here!”

The moment that they boy walked out the back door, his mothers pelted him with two water balloons, hitting him in the chest and belly. He shrieked as the water drowned his clothing, slipping into all of his crevasses. Before he could even react, Emma ran over to him and popped one over his head. As payback, her rammed into Emma and hung on tight, effectively wetting his blonde mother from head to toe.

“Kid!” Regina was laughing from behind them as the dog circled the brunette’s feet. The two turned on her and glanced at one another conspiratorially before Emma grabbed Regina and held her against her chest while Henry grabbed a balloon. He chucked it at her abdomen and it exploded, managing to soak them all. 

“Traitor!” Regina bellowed, thrusting her ass back to buck Emma off of her. The blonde kissed her head before releasing her. Then the family truly let loose, tossing at one another and running around the yard with the dog yapping happily and the sun bearing down. 

It was perfect.


	15. Number 4: Be Invited to a Party (Kinda)

“I can’t believe it’s almost over.” Emma mused quietly. She caressed the book that contained the bucket list with nostalgia, remembering all the adventures they had completing the items written in black on those lines. The fireplace glowed in the study as she sipped on her cider, waiting for Regina to finish pouring herself some.

“Well, the pool is being constructed as we speak,” She peered into the backyard where the half-finished underground pool was located, “And the party one was ridiculous anyway. What am I going to do? Force someone to invite me? That’s not satisfying.”

“I guess not,” Emma chuckled as Regina plopped down next to her on the floor, their backs against the sofa, “So you want to strike that one off?”

“I suppose.” Regina sighed, her head falling against the blonde’s shoulder as she lifted Emma’s arm and splayed it around her. 

“So, I was thinking—“

“Uh oh.” Regina jested, receiving a slight push from the blonde. 

“I was thinking that we should set a date,” Emma shrugged shyly, “for the wedding.”

Regina nodded, “Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking like next week,” Emma smirked as Regina’s bewildered gaze snapped to hers. The brunette silently questioned the blonde, “My mom and I have been planning some small details with the help for your ‘hidden’ wedding planning book.”

“You found my book?” Regina groaned.

“What? It’s cute! You’ve been planning the wedding in your head and writing stuff down with cut outs from magazine’s and the Internet. When I found it, I swooned, babe. Plus, I liked all of your ideas and my mom and I have set it all up for next week. All you have to do is say yes and we send out the invites.”

“You’re serious?” Regina smiled. Most women would be angry that they weren’t involved in the preparations but she wasn’t, not even in the slightest. It was less stress for her. She would get everything she dreamed of and not have to lift a finger.

“Like a heart attack, babe. We’ve wasted a lot of time in the past and I feel like waiting would just delay the inevitable. And the quicker we get married, the quicker we can start the adoption process.”

Regina turned to face her and kissed her supple lips longingly, “Yes. Next week sounds fantastic.”  
“But let’s talk about more pressing matters,” Emma nuzzled her nose into Regina’s apple-scented hair, “Your birthday is in two days. What do you want to do?”

“Maybe just be with you and Henry.” Regina sighed in a way that told Emma that her fiancée wanted the opposite. It made sense that she would want someone to make her birthday into a big deal. Snow mentioned that, in the palace, Regina’s birthday was forgotten, pushed to the wayside. In Storybrooke, Regina never told anyone her birthdate, not even Henry. Emma had been the one to pry it out of her and now it was her mission to make it, her, a big deal. She supposed that a surprise party planned by a dozen friends could count as ‘being invited’, right?

~_~_~

“Henry, where are you going?” Regina shouted from the kitchen when she heard the front door open. Emma had left early that morning for an extra shift that was supposed to ‘help pay for the wedding’, even though Regina was independently wealthy and could afford to pay everything and then some. But the blonde was stubborn and Regina allowed her to do her ‘thing’. 

“Belle called and told me that she needed help organized the new shipment of books.” It was way too rehearsed; Regina knew it from the perfect pronunciation. 

“What’s going on? Why are you lying to me?” Regina crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes dramatically. It used to work like a charm when he was younger but he was just staring at her blankly. 

“You got me,” He stated factually, “I was actually going to go to Hansel’s.”

“And why didn’t you ask first?” She quirked her brows at him, making him shuffle on his feet nervously. 

“You said yes yesterday.” He cleared his throat at the lie and Regina tilted her head.

“You’re lying and I don’t know why. I don’t like it or approve of it. But I’ll let it slide this time. Go before I change my mind.” He ran so fast, it made Regina snort. She decided that her son was well rounded and knew right from wrong. Whatever he was up to, she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. She strolled back into the kitchen, continuing to juice apples for her cider. 

Once she was finished with the alcoholic version, she walked into the living room and started watching the beginning of some mind-numbing talk show. The topics were so unimportant, something about a white male star that claimed to be a feminist. They were praising him, as if he was a God. If only they praised women for putting up the double standards for decades upon decades. Regina snorted at the white woman on the TV that was talking adamantly about the man’s appearance and how sexy the actor was. Well, it seemed that the whole world was screwed up, no priorities or common sense.   
The phone sounded and the brunette raced to answer before the call was sent to the answering machine. She snatched up the receiver, “Hello?”

“Hey, babe, it’s me.” Emma sounded extremely pleased with herself and Regina smiled automatically at the excitement in her lover’s voice.

“I thought you were on patrol?” Emma chuckled. Regina reached down to play with a loose string on her shirt.

“I am but we have a situation in the courtroom and we need a magical expert’s help. And I don’t exactly trust Gold or the shady as hell fairies so I call my sexy, maniacal fiancée. Come on down, Regina! You’ve been chosen for town duties!” 

~_~_~

She parked her Mercedes right in front of the town hall and, as she walked towards the building, she couldn’t help the ache she felt in her chest. She actually enjoyed her time as mayor, enjoyed the paperwork, complaints, and the power. But she wouldn’t go back. The precious extra time she gets to herself and with her family is better than an occupation. 

Though she couldn’t help the small smile that tilted her lips as she strolled toward the courtroom. She turned the last corner and noticed how quiet and dim it was in the building. She was beginning to wonder if she heard Emma wrong, that the courtroom wasn’t the location where she was needed. She continued though, just to make sure. But when she entered the courtroom, it was dark so she sighed. Right when she was turning to leave, cursing her lover’s name, the lights flashed on suddenly.

“Happy birthday!” The loud screeching of dozens of people sounded and reverberated in her eardrums, making her jump back. She stared at everyone in the room in awe. The room was transformed, likely with magic, into a spectacular backyard tea garden with a bridge from the door to the center platform and hundred of flowers. It was beautiful, especially when she saw so many people there for her, people that embraced her even after all of her wrongs. Ruby, Granny, Archie, Snow, David, Henry, Emma, the dwarfs, Belle, the former royals, and even some of the fairies were standing in front of her, smiling, while holding gift boxes, cakes, and balloons. It was so heartwarming that Regina felt her eyes burn.

“Happy birthday, babe. I love you.” Emma cradled her face and placed a lingering kiss on her red lips, only parting at Henry’s groan. 

“I love you too,” Regina leaned it to give Emma a peck on the nose, “You did this?”

“Well, me, Snow, Charming, and Henry planned it. It was supposed to be smaller but gossip spread and people wanted to show you some support. I thought it was awesome.”

“It is. I can’t thank you enough, darling.” Regina chuckled as everyone came closer, wanting to say hello. Emma stepped to the side, not letting go of her fiancée’s arm. Each person crowded around them, making jokes, passing gifts to her, and giving her hugs. 

And for the first time in forever, Regina felt like every part of her life was fulfilled. Her heart was full and her thoughts were bright. Cora had been wrong all along. Love was strength.


	16. Number 20: Pool (Plus a Wedding)

“Cannonball!” Henry raced from the back door to the pool at full speed and jumped in, creating a large splash. 

“Be careful, Henry!” Regina watched the Henry and his friends play volleyball using the high-end net that she bought and made Emma install. The pool’s construction was completed two days after her impromptu birthday party and the brunette had to admit that she was impressed by their work. 

“This turned out beautiful, Regina,” Snow gingerly sat next to the older woman on the adjacent patio chair, “I’m surprised you didn’t just use magic to build it.”

“I thought about it but I wanted a bit of human craftsmanship to go into it, I suppose.” She lifted her apple cider to her lips and sipped a bit on the sweet concoction. The two looked at the children having fun and smiled at Henry’s wide grin. Emma sauntered into her view and leaned down to kiss her passionately, garnering a low moan from Regina and a scowl from Snow, who used a nearby dish towel to smack Emma’s bicep.

“This is a child’s party!” She shrieked, adding another smack as Emma released her lover and chuckled, “Back away with your devil lips!”

Regina let out a bark of laughter and pushed on Emma’s chest, “You heard her. Get your devilish lips away from me.”

Emma smirked as she planted a departing kiss on her lover’s lips before taking a seat next to her. She looked to the pool and took in the magnificent work that was put into it. This pool was anything but ordinary, with its waterfall, faux sand entrance on the shallow side, and lining that made the pool look like the ocean. Not only that, they had installed a long waterslide that attached to a tree house and diving board. It was sophisticated yet had an ethereal quality that really wowed the children. 

Snow coughed after sipping from her cider, patting her chest, “So, nervous about the wedding?”

“In all honesty, no,” Regina gazed at her fiancée, “More excited than anything.”

Emma reached for her hand, grinning as she squeezed the dainty hand, “Yeah, I’m excited. I’m nervous about starting the adoption process.”

Snow spit out the alcoholic liquid before staring at her daughter in awe and squeaking, “Adoption process?”

“Shit.” Emma whispered, clasping Regina’s hand painfully. The older brunette glared at her as she ripped her hand back. Snow scooted forward in the wooden chair, causing a loud screech to sound and everyone to wince. 

“Are you guys adopting a baby?” Her tone didn’t give anything away. Unlike the proposal debacle, Snow was reacting dramatically per se. She was oddly quiet and her face was neutral so Regina sighed, knowing she would be the one to speak up as her lover resembled a deer in headlights. 

“After our wedding, we plan to apply, yes. We want a child and because of my fertility issues and Emma’s past, we decided adoption would be best. It would truly bring things full circle and complete this journey. We hope you and David will be support, as we would love you for two to love and cherish this coming child as much as you do Henry.” Snow’s eyes darted between the two women who were staring at her nervously, awaiting her judgment. 

“Does Henry know?”

“We asked him a while ago and he seemed genuinely excited.” Emma finally spoke up, her voice surprisingly strong. Snow nodded, peering over at her grandson, who was laughing like… well, like a child. 

“I think it’s a great idea,” Snow smiled brightly, “We have enough love to spare.”

~_~_~

Snow was an irritating woman with a strict belief in superstitions and tradition. So it no surprise that she forced the lovers to be separated the night before the wedding, making Emma sleep at the apartment across town. The brunette huffed as she turned for the hundredth time. She was so used to sleeping with Emma’s arms around her as they slept and she was realizing it the hard way. 

The house was too quiet, with the air still outside and the only sound heard was the constant buzzing of the kitchen appliances. That is until a loud shuffling sounded from her balcony. 

“Shit! Ow!” Regina sat up quickly, her eyes landing on a familiar form crippled on the master bedroom threshold.

“Emma?” She couldn’t help the excitement in her voice. She missed the blonde’s natural scent, cuddling, and sensual kisses on her neck. The brunette hopped from the mattress and unlocked the French doors, only to be practically mauled by her lover, not that she was complaining. Emma kissed her as if they hadn’t seen one another in years, her passion sending all moisture to the apex of her thighs. 

Emma pulled back with a nip, “It’s really sad but it seems I can’t be away for even a night.”

“I missed you too, darling.” Regina clasped her fiancée’s hand and dragged her to their bed. The wedding was important to them, at least legally, but they were eager for it to be over. They wanted their lives to go back to normal. 

~_~_~

A knock echoed through the master bedroom at the beach house and Regina rolled her eyes. She had just finished getting ready and did feel up to company, unless it was Emma but Snow was adamant that they wouldn’t see one another until Regina walked down the aisle with Henry. 

“Regina, are you decent?” Snow’s voice came from the other side of the door and the older woman affirmed before the younger woman entered cautiously. Snow’s eyes dragged over her soon-to-be daughter in law and let out a gasp, “Oh, you look so beautiful.”

She filled out the mermaid dress perfectly, accentuating her hips, ass, and breasts. The trail was short and allowed her to move around with ease. Her hair was in an elegant bun with a few strands loose, “Thank you, Snow. So… what’s Emma wearing?”

Snow smirked mischievously, “Not telling.”

Regina huffed in response, her eyes rolling, as she turned back to the mirror to check her appearance for the hundred time, “I hope Emma likes it.”

“Like it? We’re going to need the jaws of life to detach her from you,” Snow joked as she stood behind Regina, her hands on the older woman’s shoulders, “You should see her. She’s so excited, bouncing off the walls.”

“I’m very happy too, just nervous about the proceedings. I want everything to be perfect.”

“And it will be,” Snow leaned down to kiss Regina’s cheek, “Come on, you have a cute blonde buffoon waiting for you at the alter right now.”

She sighed shakily, accepting Snow’s offered hand as she led them down the staircase and to the hall next to the back door. Henry strolled in from the kitchen and stared at her, his eyes wide.

“Mom, you look awesome!” He whispered, not wanting to distract the guests outside from the flower girl making her way down the aisle. They had forgone bridesmaids and ‘groomsmen’ as they saw a few issues that could arise. Emma had a best woman, Ruby, and Regina would have Henry not only walk her down the aisle but stand next to her at the alter. 

“Thank you, my little prince.” She smiled, caressing his jaw lovingly, causing him to break out his biggest smile. Snow sniffled from behind them.

“I’m going to go sit down with Charming. Good luck.” She walked away with tears in her eyes and Regina couldn’t help but chuckle.

“She’s already emotional and nothings happened yet.”

“I’d say, mom, that everything has happened and there’s a lot to be emotional about. She missed a bunch of Emma’s milestones but she’s here to see her get married to her true love. I could only imagine what you will be like at my wedding,” Henry grabbed her hand, looping his arm through hers, “Happiness for those we care about tend to make us emotional.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re way too smart for your own good?” The music began playing and Regina sighed, taking solace in Henry’s strong demeanor.

“Don’t be scared. This is what you’ve been looking for all your life,” He strolled forward, taking her with him, “It’s time to lose the nerves and… be all in.”

“Has Emma been teaching you poker again?” 

“No…” It was such a blatant lie but the brunette laughed at the absurdity of her family. Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter was to be her wife, the love of her life, “Come on, she’s waiting.”

Regina blew out a breath before walking to the open doors, her eyes immediately latching onto her lover’s. Emma looked magnificent in her form-fitting tux but the joy on her face was what made Regina’s heart thump. She saw Emma mouth ‘I love you’ and she returned the silent gesture excitedly as Henry began moving forward.

That’s what life was always about, anyway. She kept moving forward. After Daniel’s death, her marriage to Leopold, her time with Rumple, the curse, Storybrooke, and everything else, she kept going and that led her to the Savior, her light. Her heart had been broken, literally, and she faced death but, with Emma, she felt life coursing through her veins. So she strode forward with purpose. Just like the people staring at her as she walked, life had given her a second chance.

And she wasn’t going to screw this one up.


End file.
